Happier Days
by neutralizer
Summary: A Shinji x Asuka slice of life fanfic based on the alternate universe in episode 26 and presented like episodes in a TV show. C&C appreciated as this is my first Evangelion fanfic. Now 100% more complete!
1. The Pilot

**Author's Notes:** This is probably going to end up being a Shinji x Asuka fanfic just because I find that it is the most natural and easy relationship to write rather than forcing other ones. On another note, this will probably be an ongoing fanfic with really no planned ending only because fanfics with planned ending are never finished and that pisses me off mainly since they usually stall in the most depressing part. If I wanted to be depressed, I'd watch End of Evangelion. If you guys want to leave some comments or criticism that would be very much appreciated as this is my first Evangelion fanfic. This might have similar elements drawn from other SA fanfics, but only because I liked them for their creativity and originality.

At the moment, I'm thinking of this fanfic as an alternate universe to Evangelion similar to the AU seen in Episode 26. However, I might throw in some modern stuff into it just to seem less antiquated. However, I'd like to see some comments on whether I should bring in the Evas into the storyline. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Italics are for thoughts. Quotes are for speech.

**Revision Notes:** I ended up having mini-arcs to drive the plot. While this first episode isn't very unique or creative because of the way it starts in the AU of Episode 26, I hope you find the rest of the episodes are different and interesting. I hope you all give it a chance. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Updated it with a bit more description and did more grammar checks.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and am writing this fanfic for pure enjoyment.

* * *

**CHAPTER 1: THE PILOT**

Asuka Langley Soryu stood in front of the metallic door that had "G. Ikari" embossed on the front. She wavered in front of the unwelcoming door, considering whether to ring the obnoxious doorbell or knock in a gentler, but friendlier way.

_Why the hell does it matter? Does my impression upon Shinji's parents really matter? Since when did they care? His mom has always loved me. Haha… how could she not? Who could resist a girl like me? Although his dad really creeps me out. Ah, whatever._

Asuka hastily reached her hand out to knock when suddenly the door flung opened. Asuka gasped and jumped back, startled first at the door's sudden opening and then at the face of Gendo Ikari staring at her, piercing her soul. Asuka's face returned to normal when she saw the soft face of Shinji's mom, Yui Ikari. There was something about Yui that was really calming to her.

"Hi, Asuka. Here to get Shinji?" asked Yui with a carefree smile on her face. She motioned with her hand to welcome Asuka in but Asuka remained at the door. She hoped that maybe today Shinji got his act together and was actually ready for once in his life.

"Yes, Mrs. Ikari. We're going to be late if he isn't ready yet." This was something Asuka had said almost thousand times over the years that she had known Shinji, and yet, he never changes.

"Oh dear. I think… Gendo, did you wake up Shinji?" Yui pulled down the newspaper that Gendo had in front of face in order to get his attention.

"No," Gendo replied in a cold way. Yui glanced back at her husband with a smile, and it seemed even the cold form of Gendo melted into a strange smile at the sight of Yui.

"Where are you and Mr. Ikari headed to in such a hurry?" Asuka asked.

"We have an early meeting this morning so we need to get NERV HQ immediately. Could you be a dear and wake Shinji up in time for school?"

"Sure thing, Mrs. Ikari."

Asuka stepped into the warm welcoming home of the Ikari's. It was clearly decorated by Yui herself, as Asuka didn't think the Ikari men had any taste at all. At the same time, Yui and Gendo stepped out with Yui latching her arm onto Gendo as if they were still young lovers and dragging him to the elevator.

"Shinji's so fortunate to have such a good friend to wake him up every day to make sure he's not late. I hope for Shinji's sake, he comes to his senses before some other nice boy snatches Asuka up. Don't you think so, Gendo?" Yui stated as the elevator door to their apartment complex closed.

Gendo only nodded in silent approval to her comment.

* * *

The sound of banging on Shinji's bedroom echoed through the house of the Ikari's. Asuka leaned against the door to listen for any sign of Shinji waking up. She smiled as she looked at the sign still hanging on Shinji's door. It was labeled "Shinji's Lovely Suite," placed several years ago by Asuka when she thought his room was too devoid of personality.

_I can't believe I got startled by the door. I mean I'm the toughest girl I know. Who gets scared by a silly door?_

Frustrated at Shinji's slow reaction, she slid open the door to Shinji's bedroom. She found her childhood friend still in bed. She quickly closed the gap to Shinji's face ready to strike with her fist, her special way of waking up Shinji. As she leaned closer for the strike, she heard him murmur "Mitsuki…" She gasped loudly next to Shinji's ear, startling him to awareness and promptly falling out of the bed. Apparently, Shinji's mind wasn't the only thing that was up that morning.

"Oh my god, you PERVERT!" Asuka exclaimed as she slapped him.

"I can't help it, it's the morning." Shinji rubbed his cheek where it stung.

"So what were you dreaming about, baka?" Asuka put her hands on her hips and leaned in towards Shinji, hoping to force an answer out of him.

"No on… uh… Nothing! Nothing! Wait wha…" Shinji exclaimed as scenes from his most recent dream flashed before his eyes as his face betrayed him with a deep blush.

"So who's Mitsuki?"

Asuka knew perfectly well who Mitsuki was. She was the same year as them and in the classroom across from theirs, room 3-A. Asuka also knew that survey that Kensuke conducted among the boys for the hottest girl in their school, she had placed second after Asuka. Asuka was grimaced as she thought of how she stole the survey from Kensuke in the first place, when she realized that Shinji still hadn't answered her. Bringing her fist back down to connect with Shinji's skull, she asked again, "Well, baka?"

Shinji mumbled several incoherent words before he was able squeeze out, "Who? Er… What?"

"Forget it! Get up! Put on your clothes! We're going to be late, baka!"

"Why did you have to wake me, Asuka? Why can't you just let me sleep in peace and let me be late?"

Asuka suddenly didn't have an answer for Shinji. To hide her uneasiness, she blurted, "Because you're an idiot, that's why."

Shinji didn't seem to question her answer. Instead, he stared at her with a puzzling expression before he sighed and said, "Yeah. I guess I am."

_Great… now baka-Shinji makes me feel bad for insulting him. Well, I won't. He IS an idiot after all._

Shinji yawned and finally got out of bed. He glanced at his clock, noticing that they had only 20 minutes before class started. That's when it dawned on him what Misato might do if Asuka and he were late. Misato loved to give cleaning duty to the last two people to enter class. While Shinji usually enjoyed the company of his female companion, he absolutely dreaded it when she forced into doing something that was his fault. Like cleaning up after school on a nice Friday afternoon. Like the last time they were late.

Shinji panicked. He quickly threw on the clothes lying nearest to him, despite the fact that they seemed to have been worn earlier in the week.

"How can you wear something that you've sweated all day in?" Asuka said in a disgusted manner.

"That's what deodorant is for, Asuka" said Shinji as he sneered at his childhood friend.

* * *

Asuka had been Shinji's friend for as long as he could remember or as long as he cared to remember. To Shinji, the memories of his childhood before Asuka showed up weren't pleasant enough to be kept. He was teased for being different because he didn't play with the other boys when he was little and instead, always played along in a sandbox, believing that he was constructing his own magical empire.

It was the week before his 7th birthday, when Asuka and her family moved from Germany to join NERV HQ, located in Tokyo-3. Shinji didn't have many friends back then, and the few that he had were only friends with him because of the benefits of being friends with the son of two of the most important people in NERV. They gained immunity from a lot of trouble that they otherwise would have been severely punished for, only because they coerced Shinji into joining them.

Even when she was seven years old, Asuka was a brass and obnoxious child. Her mother, Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu, blamed herself for allowing the little red-headed girl to behave the way she did. Kyoko tried to correct the problem when she first noticed but found herself quickly overwhelmed by Asuka's boisterous manner. When Asuka arrived to Tokyo-3, she was actually happy to be in a new city as all her "friends" from Germany hated her for her arrogance. On Asuka's first day of school in Tokyo-3, her mom tried to convince Asuka to at least make some new friends in Tokyo-3, and this time, to try to keep them.

Asuka, to her mother's surprise, did make a new friend on the first day of school. A friendship that was still strong seven years later. This friend was named Shinji Ikari. By the lunchtime of Asuka's first day, she had already managed to alienate all the other boys in her class by calling them names. She had also alienated the girls by laughing at them for playing with dolls. She did find one strange boy interesting. Shinji was off to the side in a sandbox playing. With her most confident gait, Asuka strolled up to the little boy and giggled at the sight of random mounds of sand.

"What?" Shinji asked as he glanced up to see a red-headed girl towering above him. Even for a seven-year-old, Asuka was tall and she was proud of that because it made her so intimidating.

"Whatcha making there?" asked Asuka, still confused as to what the random mounds of sand meant to the boy.

"The empire of Sahiel."

"What?"

"It's my magical empire created from sand."

"Oh."

Asuka wasn't used to being so directly answered. Most people were intimidated by her attitude, yet Shinji showed no sign of being afraid. In fact, it seemed like he didn't even notice her at all. Now, Asuka was mad. The one thing that she hated the most was to be ignored. With much spite, she kicked into the sandbox demolishing one of the strange sand mounds.

"Hey! That was the princess' tower."

For some reason, Asuka felt bad. Maybe because she, herself, was drawn into the magical world that was created by Shinji.

"It didn't look much like a tower for a princess. I'd never live in a place like that."

"Who said you were a princess? Besides, my hands are kinda clumsy, but my imagination does the rest."

"I said I was a princess. If you'd let me, I'll help you build a better tower."

Asuka stepped into the sandbox with Shinji, and with her artistic talent, she helped him create the most beautiful sand tower he had ever imagined.

* * *

"Boys are so disgusting." Shinji snapped back to reality at that point.

"Huh?" Shinji asked with a confused look on his face. He couldn't recall saying anything that would lead to Asuka's conclusion.

_Ugh… he doesn't know how disgusting he can be sometimes. Although, he is kinda cute when he stares off into space like that… Wait, ew. Asuka, don't think like that. He's your best friend._

"Oh I wish Kaji would just give up on Misato and pursue me. He's what real men are like," Asuka said dreamily.

Ryoji Kaji was Asuka's old babysitter. They knew each other very well from the many nights they spent lounging around the house, when Asuka's mother was working late nights at NERV HQ. While Kaji considered Asuka more like a younger sister for him to protect and look after, Asuka held a childish infatuation towards Kaji. She manifested this every time Kaji came by to visit or when he shows up after school to flirt with Misato, his first love, by running up to Kaji in the cheeriest voice she could manage and cling to him like a magnet to iron.

"Asuka, let's go, we're going to be late." This time Shinji was the one doing the urging, which snapped Asuka out of her daydream.

"Way to run a good daydream, dummkopf." Asuka made a face at Shinji to illustrate her anger.

"You ruined mine. It only seemed fair," explained Shinji.

"I thought you said you dreamed nothing." Shinji's face turned to the color of a tomato as he blushed and was starting to stammer out a response before Asuka grabbed his arm and dragged him into elevator.

* * *

Shinji and Asuka ran as fast as they could without tiring themselves out too much. They both knew the punishment, if they were late to Misato's class, but even with so much tension, they were still able to chat away like the childhood friends that they were.

"I hear there's going to be a new transfer student today," said Asuka.

"Really? What's he like?" said Shinji, not showing much enthusiasm into the topic.

"Didn't you hear? It's a girl."

"A girl! Now the class is going to unbalanced. Still… I hope she's cute." Asuka choked a little when she heard that and picked up the pace.

"Hahah… eat my dust, baka-Shinji." She had expected Shinji to complain for being left behind, but to her surprise, Shinji was keeping up with her effortlessly despite how scrawny he seemed. Asuka always pushed Shinji to pursue some kind of physical activity. She said that if he didn't gain some muscle, how was he supposed to protect the princess of Sahiel? Of course, Shinji retorted that Kaji would do that since he's a real "man."

A streak of blue hair and red eyes crashed straight into Shinji as he rounded the corner. For Shinji, it felt like he ran straight into a brick wall.

_Man, I'm so stupid. I ran into a pole_.

As Shinji's vision cleared, he realized that there was no such thing as a pole with blue hair and red eyes. She was wearing a school uniform similar to his.

_I wonder if she goes to our school. I've never seen here before though. She's really cute though._

Shinji stared at the girl, taking in everything about her. As soon as the girl realized what Shinji was doing, she quickly bowed and ran off, leaving her breakfast toast to be devoured by hungry pigeons. Shinji kept staring at her as she ran out of sight.

"Quit staring at her butt, baka!" Asuka hissed.

"I wasn't doing that." Shinji continued to rub his forehead, hoping that the process would ease the pain that throbbed in the area.

"Then you were staring at her panties," accused Asuka.

"You know… not all boys are perverts."

"Yeah I know…"

Shinji glanced up at Asuka, surprised that she agreed with Shinji's statement. However, Asuka wasn't going to let Shinji win this one.

"But you're still a pervert."

"Hey… no I'm not. If I were… I… uh…" Shinji stammered as he couldn't think of what he would do as a pervert.

"What about your dream?" Asuka asked in a seductive voice. Shinji swallowed as he stared into Asuka's blue eyes. He hated it when she did that because when she did, he couldn't resist telling her the truth. It was like her truth serum on Shinji.

"Huh?" Shinji looked at Asuka as she helped him up. Shinji brushed his pants for loose debris before examining himself for any bruises.

"You look fine, but she was pretty rude. She didn't even stop to see if you were okay and instead ran off to school so she could be there on time!" exclaimed Asuka.

"Let's hope Misato is late today."

"I hope so too. But this is still all your fault."

"How's it my fault?"

"You overslept," said Asuka as she prodded Shinji in the ribs, eliciting a short gasp of pain from him.

"You didn't have to wait for me." Shinji thought about how nice it would be to sleep in and continue the dream that he had before he was so rudely awakened.

"I like walking with you, Shinji. I don't why. It's just…" Asuka shook her head as she said that to illustrate her confusion.

"Calming?" said Shinji, completing her sentence. He looked at Asuka, hoping to see her reaction to what he said.

"Yeah."

As they continued to run, Shinji turned to Asuka and smiled and for a second, he thought he saw her smile back.

* * *

Touji and Kensuke were already in class 10 minutes early. They had spent the last 10 minutes arguing about whether a Gundam can beat Godzilla.

"My analysis of the Gundam indicates that it has more than enough firepower to dispose of Godzilla."

"Dude, he breathes fire. Fire owns. You can't beat that. It's like playing rock-paper-scissors and someone has a machete instead," explained Touji.

"What the—that doesn't even make sense." Kensuke considered himself the expert on anime and movies, feeling that his opinion was the only one that mattered.

Down the hallway, Kensuke and Touji could already hear what they termed the "newlyweds" arguing. They don't exactly remember when they started calling Shinji and Asuka that, but every time they argue, Kensuke and Touji were reminded why.

Suddenly the door to classroom 2-A burst open, with Shinji being forcely shoved forward by a scowling Asuka.

"That's what you are but what am I."

"An idiot." Both of them traded glares at each other, hoping that their respective glares would cause the other to back down in terror, but unfortunately, neither of them gave in.

"That's what you are but what am I."

"A dummkopf."

"That's what you are but what am I."

"A pest who if he doesn't shut up WILL GET MY FOOT SHOVED UP HIS ASS." Shinji quieted down and sat slumped in his seat. He decided to be the mature one and just let Asuka win the argument. He was too tired to keep arguing about a pointless topic.

"Don't let your wife get you down, Shinji? You'll get the loving back tonight, right?" jeered Touji, who couldn't resist another jab at Asuka, for all the insults he has to put up from her.

Touji was already expecting the slap coming for his face so he was easily able to deflect it, but what he was not expecting was a simultaneous attack by Asuka kicking his shin and Hikari tugging at his ear.

"Suzuhara. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" asked Hikari, the class rep.

"No, ma'am."

If there was anyone in the world to put Touji in his place, it was Hikari. Asuka seeing Hikari, gave her a big hug as if they hadn't seen each other for months. Giggling together, they moved away from what they considered the three Stooges to their own corner to talk and gossip.

Those same three stooges were also the founders of the Katsuragi Is Super Sexy club or KISS for short. When they heard the squeal of car tires, blazing into the school parking lot, they all knew which special lady was going to step out of the car. Kensuke, Touji, and Shinji flashed their best smile at Misato, as she slowly walked into the school, appreciating all the attention that she was getting. In their corner, Asuka and Hikari glared back at the three Stooges with their death glare.

Misato walked in, and Hikari, remembering her class rep duties, said, "Rise. Bow. Sit."

"Hi, class. Today, we have a new transfer student from Osaka." Misato motioned for someone to walk in. A timid girl stepped out of the doorway. She had blue hair and red eyes.

"I'm Rei Ayanami. I'm pleased to meet all of you," Rei said as she scanned the faces of her new classmates.

Her scan stopped halfway across the room when she saw someone who looked familiar. Doubling back, she saw the face of Shinji Ikari. The same boy who collided with her earlier. The same boy who was just became aware of her glare and tried to avert his eyes. For a while, it looked like he was praying, hoping that she wouldn't notice him.

Rei suddenly took an aggressive stance and pointed at Shinji, "Hey, you were the one this morning peeking at my panties." The rest of the female body seemed to stare at Shinji as they awaited his answer. However, Shinji panicked and had no time to come up with a carefully constructed and well-thought answer.

"W-w-what? I didn't do that. I swear," rolled out of Shinji's mouth instead. The glare of the female body was still upon Shinji, but their eyes were narrowing as if they knew he was guilty and was just trying to lie his way out of trouble.

Unexpectedly, Asuka jumped up from her seat and exclaimed, "I can't believe you. You practically begged Shinji to look at it." Rei had a shocked look on her face as she couldn't believe what was coming out of Asuka's mouth. Shinji had an equally shocked look as he couldn't believe that Asuka was defending him. The whole class turned their gaze back onto Rei, expecting a retort out of her.

"Don't lie, please. Besides, why are you protecting him? Why should you care? Are you guys going out? Are you guys sleeping together or something?"

"No way, I'd never do anything like that… w-with that baka over there," said Asuka as she pointed at Shinji and made a face of disgust.

Shinji's head seemed to drop a little as he watched Asuka and Rei argue with completely different stories about what had happened only several minutes ago. It seemed like an eternity to Shinji, but finally Misato spoke and told Rei to take the empty seat next to Shinji. Rei aired an "hmph" and looked away from Shinji as she sat down for class to commence.

* * *

"Hey, Shinji, why aren't you eating?" asked Asuka, puzzled as to why Shinji was only watching her eat and not seeking to satisfy his own hunger.

"Um, I was in a hurry today and I forgot to take the lunch that I made last night."

"How typical!"

"Sorry…" Shinji looked apologetically at Asuka.

"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to your stomach. It would be starving if I wasn't such a nice person and offered to share the rather lavish meal that I made for myself."

"You mean it, Asuka?" questioned Shinji as he looked at Asuka for a hint of sincerity. He found himself comforted as Asuka shoved part of her bento box in front of him and gave him her chopsticks.

"Thanks, Asuka." Shinji's stomach made a growling sound, expecting to inhale the remnants of Asuka's bento box within the next few minutes.

"You're welcome, dear." Asuka froze, realizing the severity of her Freudian slip, and hoped that Shinji wouldn't notice the slight reddening of her cheeks while she struggled to control her blush.

"Huh?" Shinji thought he heard Asuka saying something but he was too busy shoveling the food into his mouth to pay attention.

_Shit, did I say that out loud?! Stupid, stupid Asuka_.

"Um… never mind, Shinji."

"Okay. Thanks again, Asuka."

* * *

"Hey, Shinji, what are you doing after school?" shouted Touji and Kensuke as they ran up to him as soon as the bell rang signaling the end of class for the day.

"Um… I need to do some work. I'm falling a bit behind on the homework. Besides, I promised Asuka I'd walk her home."

"Screw work. Hang out with us. It'll be fun. We're going to arcade to try out this new game. Something to do with using a remote controller to play sports. It's just like real sports!"

"Um… why don't you just play real sports then?"

"Dude. It's virtual. Everyone knows virtual is better. They do everything virtually now."

"I think I'll pass. We went to the arcade yesterday. We need to find somewhere else to hang out."

"But where? There's not that many places that cater to 14-year-olds. And don't suggest building some ridiculous sand kingdom."

"Well, we'll figure out something tomorrow. Right now, I'm just not in the mood for anything right now."

"Wait, why are you walking Asuka home? She got you all whipped already?"

"You know she's not always mean. She's kind of nice around me sometimes. I really like that side of her." Touji and Kensuke seemed shocked at what his friend was saying, but they passed it off as Shinji just being weird and tired.

"Whatever, Shinji. We'll see you tomorrow. Are you still going to the field trip on Saturday?"

"Yeah, I'll be there. See ya."

By the time, Shinji waved back at his friends, they were long gone, anxious to try out the new game at the arcade. He turned around and looked at Asuka still chatting away with Hikari under the shade of the tree. He waved at her and saw her turn and mouth "give me a second" before returning to finish her conversation with Hikari. Seeing that it'd be a while, Shinji decided to lie back in the shade of another tree and stared at the shapes of cloud, hoping to be able to make another fantasy world out of it. The feeling of hands suddenly placed on his shoulders shook Shinji out of his reverie.

"Hey, don't sneak up on me like that!" yelled a startled Shinji.

"But it's so much fun to see you jump out of your skin, baka-Shinji," chuckled Asuka.

"You ready?" Shinji picked up his backpack that was propped against the tree.

"Yeah. See ya, Hikari!" yelled Asuka as she turned to wave at the class rep.

Shinji and Asuka had walked a few blocks away before Asuka sighed loudly. At first, Shinji tried to shrug off what Asuka was feeling, but curiosity got the better of him.

"Something wrong, Asuka?" Shinji looked Asuka with a face of genuine concern.

"Just a long day, Shinji."

"Okay. Do you want to talk about it?"

"That's alright. Let's just get home. I need to take a shower."

After sometime, they finally reached Asuka's apartment. As Shinji started to head into the elevator, he heard Asuka ask, "Shinji?"

"Yeah?" Shinji stopped half-way into the elevator, holding the door with his hand.

"Do you want to make me lunch for tomorrow?"

"Um sure…" Shinji was surprised at the generous offering of Asuka.

"Other people's food taste better," explained Asuka.

"Ah okay," muttered Shinji as he turned away from the apartment door, ready to tackle his homework when Asuka broke the silence again.

"Shinji?"

"Thanks again for walking me home."

Shinji just nodded back and smiled. She never thanked him before. He thought it was strange but shrugged it off as he thought about how much homework he had left and how the hours in the day seemed to evaporate from the heat of the approaching summer.

* * *

**End Notes:** Okay, the ending is a bit rushed. I was running out of material especially since this was the introductory chapter of them doing nothing and just introducing everyone and getting a feel for the whole fanfic. I hope you guys enjoy it. Stay tuned for the next chapter… SOON™. I'll give you a hint, it has something to do with the field trip.


	2. The Trip

**Author's Notes:** I kinda started this one without waiting for C&C on the first chapter only because I wanted to gather up some of my ideas that were sitting in my head in stagnant waters. Despite what I said about not having a planned storyline, I ended up gathering up some ideas for a plotline for the next couple of episodes. At least I can have the relief that the material for the next few episodes will be set in stone. I hate it when I have to panic and come up with new material. If you have any interesting plotlines that you'd like to see incorporated, feel free to send me message or leave a comment. Anyways, I talk too much in my notes. On with the show and enjoy!

Oh and I could use some pre-readers. Send a message if you'd like to.

**Revision Notes: **Grammar check and extended descriptions. Also I fixed the part which makes the reader think that Mitsuki is timid. If you think this is the average Shinji can't choose between two girls fanfic, you're seriously mistaken. It's just the way this arc was set up.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and am writing this fanfic for pure enjoyment.

* * *

**CHAPTER 2: THE TRIP**

Once again, the sound of knocking echoed through the apartment owned by the Ikari's. And again, it was Asuka knocking on the door of "Shinji's Lovely Suite."

"Hold on, Asuka, I'm still packing," yelled Shinji through the door. Asuka slide the door open to see Shinji throwing clothes into his suitcase in a hurried manner.

"We've known about this trip for so long. How have you not packed already? Why do you always wait until the last minute for everything?" yelled Asuka, fed up with Shinji's lack of preparedness. She was tempted to reach over and smack him hard enough to send him flying, but she quickly realized that doing that would only set them farther behind.

"Umm… when did you pack?" asked Shinji, still frantically grabbing clothes off the floor and catapulting them into his suitcase.

"Like last week. Hikari and I spent several hours

"H-hours?" stuttered Shinji, unable to believe how anyone can take more than a minute to choose an outfit.

"I've gotta look my best to show off this beautiful body." Asuka thought back to the events of last Saturday, when she and Hikari got together to pick out the outfits they were going to bring along with them to the class trip to Okinawa. Both classes of 2-A and 3-A were going together to celebrate the end of school and the arrival of their long-awaited summer vacations. Asuka and Hikari had made an extensive pro-con list of each outfit that they owned.

"Okay, I'm done." Asuka looked inside of Shinji's suitcase and saw what seemed like random clothes that Shinji had lying around strewn about in it. Many of them didn't even seem appropriate for the trip.

"Okay fine, if you're going to go wear whatever, I don't really care. Let's go. My mom is waiting for us to drive us there," said Asuka has struggled to drag Shinji and his luggage with her.

"Have fun, kids. Take care of Shinji, Asuka!" Yui yelled from the kitchen as she continued to prepare lunch for Gendo and her.

Asuka and Shinji stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground level.

"So are you excited, Asuka?"

"Of course, I've been waiting to relax on a beach in Okinawa all year."

"Oh…"

"Aren't you excited, Shinji?"

"Um yeah, I guess. I don't really know how to swim."

"I know. Last time, we tried to get you to swim you grabbed onto me so hard I couldn't breathe. You almost drowned us both, baka." Asuka poked Shinji in the ribs to show that was still upset about the incident.

"Sorry…"

"It was still pretty funny. You looked like you were going to cry when you stepped into the pool."

The elevator shook to a stop and the door opened, abruptly ending the conversation. Asuka and Shinji stepped out of the elevator and went outside. Asuka motioned to Shinji to get into the car and was about open the door to the passenger door when Shinji exclaimed, "Wait, why can't I put my suitcase in the trunk."

"Because, baka, it's full."

Shinji's face went to the look of shock when he realized that it was probably filled with all of Asuka's luggage and that she was probably going to make him carry it all when they got to the airport.

_Shinji: How could she have so much for such a short trip?_

"What's wrong, baka?" asked Asuka as she interpreted Shinji's facial expression.

"N-nothing…"

"Then quit stammering and get into the car!" yelled Asuka as she attempted to push Shinji into the car.

"Mmm…" said Shinji as he nodded while stepping into the car, shutting the door behind him.

On the way to the airport, Shinji and Asuka engaged in light conversation, but as the conversation trailed off into a trickle of comments about what they were passing, Shinji found himself digging into his pocket to retrieve his iPod.

Shinji pulled it out with the back of the iPod facing him. He smiled when he saw the words engraved on the back of it. "Happy Birthday. Love, Asuka," it said in silver etched lettering. He received it recently for his birthday from Asuka, after getting much abuse from her about using his old SDAT player for so long. Asuka knew how much Shinji loved music and figured that a bigger and more durable player would be suitable as a gift. Shinji smiled inside as he thought about how well Asuka knew him.

_Shinji: Sometimes she knows me so well… but other times, it's like she doesn't care about me at all, but-_

"Hey baka, we're here."

"Huh? What?" said Shinji as his thoughts were interrupted.

"We're at the airport, baka," explained Asuka as she stepped out of the car, squinting so that her eyes adjusted to the bright rays of the sun.

"Oh yeah."

"Now help me with my luggage. You can't expect a beautiful girl like me lugging around all that luggage by myself. I'd work up too much of a sweat." The door to the backseat swung open as a pair of hands reached in to yank Shinji out so that he could serve his purpose.

_Shinji: I knew it! I win the bet! Wait, I betted with myself._

"Why did you pack so much then? What if I say no?" complained Shinji after popping open the trunk and seeing how much luggage Asuka had packed.

"Please, Shinji! Do it for me," said Asuka in her most sultry voice. Shinji didn't seem to offer any resistance as he removed the luggage from the trunk. Shinji grimaced under the weight, but shrugged it off as he stumbled forwards towards the luggage check-in.

_Shinji: Thank god I don't have to carry this all the way through the airport._

Suddenly a hand slapped him on the shoulder. Shinji winced under the added weight and turned around to see Touji and Kensuke.

"Great… it's the other two idiots. Why don't you guys dress up in tights and go spread your stupidity somewhere else?" said Asuka as she rolled eyes and saw Hikari in the distance. Asuka sprinted off only to turn around and yell at Shinji, "Hey Shinji. I'll meet you at the luggage check-in."

"Already carrying your wife's luggage. How cute," jeered Touji.

"It's actually quite revolting," said Kensuke as he thought of Asuka and Shinji together.

"Shut up" was all Shinji could manage as he continued to stumble under the weight of the luggage.

After much struggling and jokes from Touji and Kensuke, Shinji made it to the luggage counter. Asuka was already there tapping her foot impatiently.

"What took you so long, baka? I've been waiting."

"Have you seen how much luggage you have?"

"Ha! That's half of what I took with me when I visited Germany for the winter. Oh, how I miss snow." Asuka's mind faded off into bliss as she thought about snow and how cool it would be compared to the sweltering heat outside.

"Please put the luggage on the scale, sir," said the man behind the counter, whose nametag seem to indicate that his name was Raoul. Shinji carefully set Asuka's luggage onto the scale. Raoul stared at the number from the scale in disbelief and then continued to apply the appropriate labels to her luggage.

With no further incidents, Shinji checked in his luggage easily, and the group headed through the security checkpoint and finally toward their gate. It seemed that the rest of class was already at the gate by the time the group arrived. The members of KISS all started to drool at the sight of Misato in her casual summer clothes.

"Oh wow. Look at her legs. Man, she beats all the girls from our class, hands down," said Touji, almost drooling at the sight of their sensei.

"Misato's thighs. Misato's butt. Misato's bust," the members of KISS said simultaneously as they continued to gaze at Misato. Hikari and Asuka scoffed as they moved to join some of their other friends who weren't too busy staring at Misato to engage in trivial conversation.

"Alright, listen up class. I know it's almost the end of the school year, and I know you're all excited about your summer vacations, but as a last assignment, I'd like you all to write a 3-page paper about what you're doing for the summer, why, and what you're going to get out of it," announced Misato, standing on top of a seat in the waiting area in order to project her voice. The whole class groaned in unison, but continued to listen as Misato had more to say.

"Okay before we board the flight. I want everyone to partner up with someone so they have a buddy to not get lost on our hike." The area around gate burst into a loud commotion as friends argued with each other with who gets to partner up with whom.

"Hey Touji, want to partner up with me?" said Kensuke.

"Sure," replied Touji.

"Wait, what about me?" exclaimed Shinji with a frown, feeling left out.

"Too slow, Shinji," said Kensuke as he turned away with Touji towards the gate.

A soft tap on Shinji's shoulder had him spinning around to see who it is. In the process of doing so, he almost knocked over the brave girl who had gently tapped his shoulder in hopes that he'd be her buddy. Instead of seeing Asuka as Shinji had hoped, he saw a similar girl about Asuka's height but with brilliant brown hair and heterochromatic eyes. One eye was a deep blue while the other was a serene green. Shinji found himself drawn into the eyes as if hypnotized.

"Um… hi Shinji," said Mitsuki, not sure how to talk to the boy that she observed from afar. Most girls were fearful of approaching of Shinji because he was usually accompanied by the red-headed devil. Seeing that Asuka was preoccupied talking to Hikari, Mitsuki thought it would be a good time to approach Shinji.

"O-hayo Mitsuki. What did you need?" asked Shinji, recalling that he had previously tutored Mitsuki in Japanese.

"Um… I was… just wondering… perhaps… that maybe… you'd want… to be my buddy?" said Mitsuki as she repeatedly glanced over to where Asuka was to make sure that the demon stayed away. For now, Mitsuki seemed to be safe.

"Sure!" said Shinji, delighted to see Mitsuki.

"Okay. I'll see you when the plane lands." Mitsuki ran off while waving goodbye, hoping to make a quick escape.

Shinji watched Mitsuki hop away with just a bit of a bounce in her step. Another tap on shoulder sent Shinji spinning around to see a whirl of red hair, finally stopping to see Asuka.

"Hey Asuka. Um… Mitsuki just asked me to be her buddy," Shinji blurted out, thinking that Asuka might have wanted to be his buddy.

"Uh… I wasn't going ask about that. I have Hikari. Right, Hikari?" said Asuka as her eyes averted Shinji's gaze while nudging Hikari.

"Huh? What Asuka?" Hikari looked at her friend with a confused look.

"You're my buddy, right Hikari?"

"Um sure, Asuka," replied Hikari.

"Then what were you going to talk to me about, Asuka?" asked Shinji.

"Oh… um… I forgot my sunscreen, I was wondering if you brought some with you." Asuka said with her best confidence, trying to hide the fact that the question was the best she could come up with.

"Oh yeah sure. I'll lend it to you when we land and get ready for the hike."

"Thanks, Shinji. Now let's board that plane." The group headed towards the platform to enter plane while handing in their tickets.

Kensuke and Touji were the first on the plane as Kensuke dragged Touji in so they could get the seat next to the wing. Kensuke wanted to see all the action involving the wings. He was into everything military. Even though there was nothing military about this Boeing 737, he was still excited to see the wing hydraulics in action.

"Yo, Shinji. We saved you a seat," yelled Touji as he pointed to the seat next to himself.

Indeed, there was still a seat open next to Touji as Kensuke had the window seat. Shinji pulled away from Asuka's grip and sat down with Touji to start talking, oblivious to Asuka's widened eyes. Quickly, Asuka dragged Hikari to the row behind the three Stooges and sat down. Some random girl sat next to Hikari, but both girls ignored her as they continued to chat about what they were going to do when they landed.

* * *

(Wow, I think that was the longest since there was a scene change.) 

The sound of jet engines roared as the class exited the plane.

As Asuka stepped down from the plane, she took a deep breathe of the air and said, "Ahh… the air smells so clean here. So refreshing." The sky was clear. There was not a cloud in the sky, something that was rare in an industrialized area like Tokyo-3.

"That's weird I don't smell anything like that," Touji added.

"That's because you spend all your time smelling your own ass," said Asuka as she slapped the back of Touji's head. The whole class burst into laughter as Touji looked on with embarrassment.

From the airport, the students were quickly shuttled to the start of their trip, the hike.

"Now, class while this hike may be long and enduring, the destination over the hills is worth it-the beach. Let's take this time to get ready. Fill up your water bottles, use the restroom, and put on your sunscreen," explained Misato.

"Hey Shinji, the sunscreen?" said Asuka as she tapped on Shinji's shoulder.

"What? Oh yeah." Shinji tossed Asuka the sunscreen as he was done using it.

"Okay… wait." Asuka spun around in circles looking for Hikari to help her apply sunscreen to her back. "Where's Hikari?"

"She's over the there." Shinji pointed to the girl with pigtails and cute freckles that was allowing Touji to apply sunscreen on her back. Asuka saw that and only grinned.

Shinji had a confused look on his face. "Why are you smiling?"

"Touji is helping Hikari."

"So?"

"Never mind. You just don't get it, baka-Shinji."

"Okay then."

"Um… can you help me apply sunscreen to my back? I can't reach it." Asuka looked away from Shinji as she said that but only to hide her blush.

"A-are you s-sure?" stammered Shinji as he started to blush as well.

"Yeah. Just keep your hands from going too low." Shinji almost fainted after hearing that, but kept it together or else he'd miss the chance to apply sunscreen to her back. Asuka could barely hold back her moaning as Shinji just happened to be rubbing her back with sunscreen in the right places.

_Asuka: Oh my god, I can't believe it feels so good. It's baka-Shinji after all. I mean sure… he's cute. Wait. No. I can't let him know that I'm enjoying it._

"Ow. Watch yourself, dumpkoff," yelled Asuka, wincing in fake pain.

"Sorry…" said Shinji as he grimaced, expecting Asuka to slap him. Asuka looked to him with a puzzled look as to why he was making his face when she realized what he was doing.

_Asuka: Do I really hit him that often for him to expect it? I guess I can be nice today._

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hit you, but thanks for your help," Asuka said as she got up, saddened by the end of her back massage, but relieved at the end of the awkward situation. "I'll see you in the hike." Asuka turned to go meet Hikari, her partner, to get ready.

As almost everyone was ready, Shinji still stood there in shock at what happened. He was confused about how to deal with Asuka, but fortunately, Touji and Kensuke showed up to cheer him up.

"Hey Shinji. You ready to go?"

"Uh… yeah I think so, Touji." Shinji was still shock at what had happened with Asuka. He had never thought in a million years that Asuka would let him do what he just did without so much as calling him a pervert.

"Oh man, I'm so excited. To see all the girls in their swimsuits. Oh man, that'd be so n-." Saliva was again coming out of Touji's mouth.

"Dude, is it true?" interjected Kensuke.

"Wait, what is true?"

"That your buddy is Mitsuki."

"Um yeah. What about it?" Both Kensuke and Touji looked at Shinji with shocked looks. After all, she was hottest girl in their eyes because Asuka didn't count due to her personality.

"But dude. The red-headed devil must be so pissed."

"Why would she?"

"I don't know. We just thought that…"

"Thought what? Just because she's been my friend for so long? She still calls me an idiot every day," Shinji angrily said. He was recalling the many times that Asuka had insulted him or hit him. It wasn't a pleasant trip down memory lane.

"Fine. But dude. She's so hot."

"Yeah… she's alright."

"Just alright?" said Mitsuki from behind Shinji. Shinji almost jumped out of his skin after hearing Mitsuki's voice.

_Shinji: I gotta be more aware of my surroundings. Or develop spidey senses._

"I mean. I mea-" Shinji stopped talking as Mitsuki put her finger up Shinji's lips and immediately Shinji frozen.

"Shush. I get it. I'm sure you're happy to be my buddy." She smiled, not expecting to get such a reaction out of Shinji.

"Of course," chuckled Shinji. "C'mon, let's go. Everyone is waiting."

"Yeah," said Mitsuki as she grabbed Shinji's hand and walked over to the rest of the class.

* * *

"Can you believe that Mitsuki? Her and Shinji," scoffed Asuka. 

"What's wrong with that? A little jealous?" joked Hikari. Hikari had always thought that Asuka had feelings for Shinji despite her constant denial. She found it strange for Asuka to be around Shinji so much yet not be attracted to him.

"WHAT? No. No way. Why would I be?" said Asuka on the defensive.

"So then, what's the problem?"

"I can't believe someone of her stature would stoop that low and go with that wimp."

"How can you call him a wimp? Hasn't he been your friend for the longest time?"

"Yeah so? That doesn't change the fact that he's a wimp. Remember when we went to that horror movie with the three Stooges? He was like cringing with his hands over his eyes and squeezing my hand."

"So what if he's just not a fan of those kinds of movies? Besides, I remember that it was you who was squeezing his hand and then grabbing onto him for dear life."

"I did no such thing," said Asuka appalled at her friend's comment, but more so at her good night vision. "How can you make out anything in dark?!"

"Never mind. I think you should be happy for him. He seems so quiet these days that maybe that girl can bring him out of it."

"What you talking about? He's always quiet. But why my Shinji?"

_Asuka: Oops, I hope she didn't notice that slip._

"As his friend, shouldn't you be helping him out with that problem rather than insulting him all the time?"

_Asuka: Apparently, she didn't notice._

"What? I do!"

"Never mind. Hey Asuka, watch out for those rocks! They look pretty loose."

"Wait wha- Ahh!" yelled Asuka as she started to slide along some of those rocks. Suddenly, her fall was stopped when someone grabbed her hand. Asuka stood up again and turned around to see Shinji with his free hand holding her up with his other hand still holding Mitsuki's hand.

"You alright, Asuka?" asked Shinji.

"I'm fine. I didn't need your help!" yelled Asuka as she turned around to hit Shinji for what she thought was a ridiculous question, but Shinji dodged out of the away.

Asuka and Hikari continued on their hike as Mitsuki turned to ask Shinji, "What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know. Maybe it's that time of the month." Mitsuki didn't do anything else but chuckle and continued to follow the rest of the class.

As they hiked onwards, the class heard the soft roll of the waves crashing on the rocks. Excited for a day of fun in the sun, the class squealed as they rushed to the beach using their last reserve of energy to make it.

"Ah, this is the life: sitting on the beach, watching beautiful girls frolicking while sipping on lemonade."

"Kensuke, where did you get the lemonade?"

"I always come prepared when the situation needs to be," explained Kensuke. Shinji dug into Kensuke's backpack and pulled out a packet of lemonade mix. "Just add water," the cover of the packet said.

"Figures. Lemonade powder," snickered Shinji.

"Fine, you caught me." Kensuke put up his hands to feign innocence.

"But dude, don't you think Asuka looks really great in her swimsuit," said Touji as he stared at Asuka.

"Maybe you should stop doing that before Asuka sees you and gives you a piece of her mind," suggested Shinji. He couldn't help but notice that Asuka looked absolutely stunning in her swimsuit. It was an image that he wanted to hold on to for a while. Shinji closed his eyes, absorbing the sun and tried to conjure up the image of Asuka in different swimsuits in his head. Touji ignored Shinji's comment and continued to stare at Asuka.

* * *

As they walked along the shore and splashing the water, Asuka and Hikari were having another chit-chat. 

"Hey, don't get me wet, Hikari. It's cold." Asuka shuddered at the contact of the cold seawater with her skin.

"You should have thought of that before you wore that bikini."

"That's because I have a great body. I don't see why you still dress so conservatively. You don't look half-bad yourself."

"I don't like people gawking at me like I'm a piece of meat."

"Well, if they do that to me, they're going to be in a world of hurt." Asuka shook her fist to demonstrate the strength contained in her hands.

"You know…" Asuka turned around to see where Hikari was looking at, only to see Touji staring at her. His face distorted to one of fear as Asuka used her death stare on him, before promptly storming off, completely oblivious to Hikari's pleas not to hurt Touji.

"Oh shit, man, she's coming over here right now," yelled Shinji, almost cringing to the imagined pain that she could inflict. Touji just stood there with his mouth open, scared to do anything as Asuka stopped in front of him with her hands on hips.

"Do you have any last prayers before you die?" yelled Asuka with a scowl on her face. Her fist was raised, ready pummel Touji into the sand.

"Don't hurt my beautiful face," whimpered Touji.

"I'll make you a deal to save it." A grin spread across Asuka's face as she tried to think of something devious and humiliating for Touji to do.

"What, I'll do anything." Touji got on his knees and begged Asuka for a way to redeem himself.

"Bow down to me and say 'Asuka Soryu Langley is the greatest in the world.'" That was the best Asuka could think of.

"Are you serious?" choked Touji.

"Do it or…" said Asuka as she raised her fist, illustrating the alternative.

"Okay." Touji did exactly as Asuka asked with no further complaints, which ended up with Asuka laughing out loud, and Kensuke and Shinji desperately trying to stifle their laughter.

"You traitors." Touji glared at his friends to stop, but inside they were still laughing with a stupid grin on their face.

Asuka grabbed Shinji's hand and pulled him away from Kensuke and Touji.

"Wha- What are you doing, Asuka?"

"C'mon, let's go. Leave the idiots." Shinji looked back at his friends with a sorrowful face, but unable to challenge Asuka especially with the confidence that she had after forcing ridicule upon Touji.

"Where are we going, Asuka?"

"Just over there," she pointed, "by those rocks."

"For what?"

"To talk. We haven't all day."

"Um okay…" said Shinji as he continued to think about what she was getting at. "About what?"

"Anything."

"I don't know what."

"God, you're really a boring conversationalist, you know that?"

"Then why did you want to talk to me?" Shinji was still confused. It wasn't often that Asuka wanted to sincerely talk to him.

"Oh, never mind." Shinji started to get up, but Asuka grabbed his wrist and yanked him down, only to have him fall on top of Asuka.

"Ah… watch what you're doing, you pervert." She didn't sound as harsh as she usually did.

"Sorry, Asuka." Shinji sat back up and looked at Asuka, not sure what to talk about.

"So how was your day, what did you do? Did you enjoy the trip?"

"Well, I was just kinda hiking with Mitsuki. And we just talked about stuff. Like school. And stuff. I don't know. You know I don't really like going out and doing stuff," mumbled Shinji.

"Right... you'd rather be in your room listening to music or practicing on your cello." Shinji nodded in silent approval.

"But you must have enjoyed something about this trip."

"Sure, I guess. Maybe when you made Touji do that thing." They both started laughing again when they recalled the event that occurred just a few minutes ago. They sat again in silence. Asuka knew that she couldn't get anything more out of Shinji. He was, after all, a reserved person.

"Okay, I should be getting back Hikari. I think she might get bored." Asuka got up and started brush the wet sand from her bottom.

"Haha okay. I think I'm going to keep sitting here and enjoy the view," said Shinji, not paying attention to Asuka's motion, content to just stare at the rolling waves.

"You don't mean me, do you?" Asuka saw Shinji blush a bit. She giggled a little and ran off to meet Hikari.

Suddenly, a pair of arms slipped around Shinji.

"Asuka, I thought you were leaving."

"I'm not Asuka," said the soft voice. Shinji thought that voice sounded familiar and then realized that the voice belonged to Mitsuki. He turned to peek, but saw nothing behind him. By then, Mitsuki had already sat down next to Shinji. Shinji gave her a curious look, unsure why Mitsuki would wander so far from the group.

"So what's up? Why are you out here?" asked Mitsuki.

"Oh, just enjoying the view." Shinji looked back at the rolling waves.

"It's so calming."

"What is?

"The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks."

"Eh?" Shinji looked at Mitsuki with his classic puzzled look.

"Ah nothing. That sounded cheesy." Mitsuki returned to staring at the waves with Shinji.

"Oh."

"Shinji?"

"Yeah?" Shinji looked back at Mitsuki with an inquiring look.

"Have you ever kissed someone?" Mitsuki corrected her. "I mean, a girl, on the lips."

"No…" Shinji had no idea what she was getting at and gave her another puzzled look.

"Well, I thought that this is a perfect place."

"A perfect place for what?"

"For a first kiss, silly," chuckled Mitsuki, hoping to clear the awkwardness between the two.

"Huh?" Shinji gave her a look of confusion, but deep down, he hoped that she wasn't going to do what she was referring to because he just wouldn't know how to react. He never kissed before, and he felt he was going to ruin the experience with his awkwardness.

"You're a strange person, Shinji. I'll put it into something you can understand."

"Say wha-" Shinji was abruptly cut off. His voice was muffled by a pair of lips being pressed against his. It was warm. He found himself enjoying it a bit and kissed her back. Their lips broke apart, and they found themselves staring into each other's eyes.

Their moment was broken apart by Misato's voice. "Class, it's getting late. It's time to head back. I'm starved." Mitsuki held out her hand for Shinji to hold. Shinji smiled and grasped it as they walked back to the gathering around Misato.

* * *

"Whoa, did you see that? Shinji got some kiss action with Mitsuki." Touji pointed to the figures of Shinji and Mitsuki in the distance. 

Unfortunately for Touji, Asuka was within earshot of Touji and turned to look at where she just left Shinji. Feelings of emptiness filled Asuka. She felt the anger and betrayal rising, not knowing why.

_Asuka: Why am I feeling this way? Why? I don't know... What's wrong?_

As she walked past Touji, she swiftly gave him a kick in shins, leaving Touji with a confused look on his face as to what he did to deserve that.

* * *

**End Notes:** Reviews reviews reviews reviews reviews reviews reviews… I'd like to know how to improve. 

There was no pre-read for this one as I finished this chapter faster than I expected. Don't blame me for the occasional grammar errors. I'm not that meticulous. Also don't expect future chapters to be done in one day. I was just bored-that's all. Not everyone kills time by kissing their roommate.


	3. The Date

**Author's Notes:** I fixed some errors in Chapter 2 due to the lack of a pre-read. To clarify, they're at the beginning of their summer vacation. There was an error that stated otherwise. Also while Mitsuki seemed shy when first introduced. She was just scared, causing her to be timid. She's really outgoing, at least compared to Shinji. I know I introduced Rei in Chapter 1, and there wasn't really mention of Rei in Chapter 2. That was not accidental. I don't consider Rei a major character at this point in the story. Perhaps, maybe in the future, I'll consider giving her a bigger role, but for now she's just another student in the class who at least has a name given to her, much like Hikari, Touji, and Kensuke.

More reviews! I'd love to know I can improve as a writer. Also suggestions for plots would be appreciated as well.

Thanks to Hitori Kennin and my friend, JD, for pre-reading.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and am writing this fanfic for pure enjoyment.

* * *

**CHAPTER 3: THE DATE**

It's been a week. A week since Shinji last talked to Asuka. A week since she last woke him up in the morning. A week since Shinji started feeling really lonely. These thoughts ran through Shinji's head as he got up surprisingly early for a change to go over to Mitsuki's house to walk her to school.

The first day back from the trip to Okinawa, Asuka didn't even show up to Shinji's apartment to wake him up. And he was late. When Shinji got to class and slid the door open, everyone looked at him except for Rei and Asuka.

Shinji shook the thought of all the abuse he got from Touji and Kensuke about what they termed a marital spat between Asuka and him. Instead, he decided to concentrate on the task at hand: following Mitsuki's directions to her house. Despite tutoring her in Japanese, she still needed some help in writing more neatly, which was strange because Shinji thought all girls' handwriting was neat, but then again, he had only seen one sample of girly handwriting.

_Shinji: Asuka…_

"Hey Shinji, I'm over here," yelled Mitsuki as she waved to where her house was.

Shinji jogged up to her and waved back.

"I figured that you might not be able to read the directions too well so I stood outside to make myself more noticeable."

"I managed, but I suggest that you should start writing more neatly."

"Oh yeah, compared to who?"

"Well, I've only seen Asuka's handwriting, but it's pretty neat."

"Oh. Have you talked to her recently at all?" Shinji had confided Mitsuki in his problem with Asuka avoiding him. He thought that maybe he could get a girl's perspective on it. It seemed to him that she was just as clueless as he was.

"No…"

"She was a really good friend, huh?"

"Yeah…"

Mitsuki felt Shinji getting depressed again and flashed a smile at him. Shinji smiled back with the best fake enthusiasm that he could gather.

"You should carry my bag for me, seeing how you're my boyfriend and all," explained Mitsuki.

"B-b-boyfriend? I'm your boyfriend?"

Mitsuki nodded cheerily.

"So that makes you… my…"

"Right! Your girlfriend. Now let's get a move on it before we're late. I'd hate to have to clean-up on the last day of school."

As Mitsuki and Shinji ran towards the school, Shinji made up his mind that he would talk to Asuka today. After all, since she didn't visit him anymore, so today was the last day he would see Asuka and force her to talk to him.

_Shinji: I hope everything is okay._

* * *

The bell rang. Students started to pour out of class for lunch. Shinji searched the door for Asuka, seeing her red hair flash just out of sight as she rounded the corner and headed for the field for a quiet, cool lunch under the tree. Shinji promptly got up and sprinted after her.

Asuka was a bad mood. She looked down and kicked rocks as she trotted her way to the tree. It was her favorite place to eat. It was cool. The grass was comfortable and well-kept there. It was her place to think when everything in the world was wrong. And today, her thoughts ran once again to Shinji Ikari. The boy who preoccupied her mind for the past week.

_Asuka: I don't know why I can't get over it. I don't see why I should be mad at Shinji, but I still am. I try to talk to him, but I can't bring myself to do it, even though it's probably hurting him right now because he has no idea why._

Asuka was suddenly stopped when a hand shot out and grabbed her.

"Hey, Hikari," Asuka said without turning around.

"It's not Hikari," a deeper voice than Hikari's said.

Asuka gasped when she realized it was Shinji.

_Asuka: I can't believe he's the one to take the initiative to confront me. I didn't know he had it in him._

"Oh, it's you."

"Yeah, it's me, Shinji. Your childhood friend for as long as I care to remember."

Asuka smiled inside, knowing that Shinji cared about her a great deal.

"What do you want?" yelled Asuka in her harshest voice. She didn't even call him "baka," a word Shinji was starting to associate as a word of endearment.

"Why have you been acting so strange recently?"

"What are you talking about? I haven't done anything strange," exclaimed Asuka as she placed her hands on her hips defiantly, bent over to Shinji's height, and glared at him.

"You've been avoiding me. And you've stopped walking with me to school."

"I haven't been avoiding you. I just haven't had the time. You know-busy and all," explained Asuka.

"What about walking with me to school? You've been walking with me to school since we became friends in the 1st grade. Isn't it sudden to stop?"

"Who said anything about that being tradition?"

"You said you liked walking with me to school. That it was calming."

"YOU said it was calming."

"Fine," muttered Shinji, obviously frustrated at how Asuka was clearly avoiding the subject entirely.

"Is that it, Shinji?"

"Yeah…" said Shinji as he turned away from Asuka and started walking away.

* * *

The bell rang again. The students of class 2-A eagerly poured back into the classroom ready to begin the last afternoon of instruction for the next 3 months.

"Class, I know that your written assignment was to discuss your summer vacation, but I'd like everyone to share just a few sentences of what they are going to do for the summer. Afterwards, class is dismissed."

Each student of the class took turns sharing their summer vacation. Some people were just lounging around Tokyo-3. Other people were going to hold some summer jobs, earning a bit of money to spend.

"For my summer vacation, I'm going to be helping my parents at NERV HQ. They said I get to participate and help conduct some of the experiments that they're running," said Shinji.

"That's great, Shinji! Sounds like fun!" said Misato.

"I will be swimming all summer. I like to swim. The water is fun to be in. It's relaxing," said Rei with most monotonous voice. It seemed like she was already into summer vacation mode and was no longer paying attention to class.

"I hope you're not just doing that all summer. I hope you'll be eating and sleeping as well," Misato joked. Only a few students chuckled at the weak joke.

The class rep stood up. Everyone looked at her with admiration and respect as she began to speak. "I'll be working at the Tokyo-3 Skylight Bistro as a junior chef," said Hikari, full of elation.

"Oh? I hope to go there sometime on a date… I've heard rumors of how good your cooking is, Hikari. I guess I'll see how good it really is," said Misato, obviously excited for Hikari.

The class fell into stupor as the girls dreamed of their imaginary dates at the restaurant, whereas the boys in the class dreamed of their imaginary date with Misato at their side.

"For my summer vacation, I'm going to visit all the military bases around Japan so I can see all the cool aircraft, cool ships, and other cool weapons," explained Kensuke.

No one except for Touji cheered for him.

"I'm going to work on my free throws all summer so I can try out for the basketball team next year," said Touji in his most confident voice.

"Good, then you can be with other idiots," muttered Asuka to herself.

"That sounds great, Touji. I bet you'll be great at it," said Misato with a cheery voice.

"I bet she'd think it'd be great if someone said they'd crap all summer," muttered Asuka.

"What was that, Asuka? Something you'd like to share with the rest of the class."

_Asuka: Shit! I hope she didn't hear me. I really need to watch my voice around her. She has great hearing for a woman her age._

"No, ma'am. Nothing except what I doing for the summer."

"Well, what are you doing for the summer then?"

"I'm going to Germany to visit some relatives. Of course, it's gonna be so fun. I can't wait. Germany is just so awesome. I mean it's not weird like here in Japan. I think I'll hang out with some college guys-they seem to have real class. Not like the idiots in our class."

Misato ignored the quip aimed at the boys in the class. "I've been Germany before. Beautiful country," Misato added. Misato looked around for more students to speak up, but realized that they had all shared already, a fact that saddened her.

"I guess that's it. I hope you guys enjoy your summer vacation. I'm going to miss you guys," said Misato as she started to tear up. "Well, go on, enjoy!"

The class cheered in unison and sprung up into a cloud of confusion as everyone tried to get out as fast as they could as if summer vacation was already running away from them. They wanted desperately to savor every minute of their summer vacation, and they did not intend to waste even a little bit by staying in class too long. By the time Shinji was ready to go, most of them were already outside skipping and hopping their way towards their summer vacation, knowing that their plans would soon be realized.

Shinji looked around the classroom and saw that it was already empty. He walked by the door and looked back at Misato still sitting there teary-eyed.

"Misato, it's been a great year. I think you've been one of the best teachers I've ever had."

"Really, Shinji?" Mistato's face brightened up when she heard those words. "It's words of encouragement like that that keep me teaching. Thanks again, Shinji. I hope you have a wonderful summer."

"You too, Misato. Bye!" said Shinji as he waved to Misato and exited the classroom.

Shinji wasn't out of the gates of school before he ran into Mitsuki, apparently waiting for him just outside the school gates.

"What took you so long, Shinji?"

"Oh, I was just talking to Misato?"

"Oh? About what?"

"Oh, just how the year went and how great a teacher she is."

"You mean how great she looks."

"No, not that. I just really enjoyed her class."

"Regardless, I don't think you should even think about other girls when we're dating."

_Shinji: Wow, she's really possessive._

"Um okay. I think I can do that." Shinji nodded to reaffirm his statement although internally, he had no idea how he'd keep that promise, especially when he's hanging out with Kensuke and Touji. Those two were the biggest perverts he knew.

"Thanks, Shinji-kun. So how about a date, tonight? It's perfect. To celebrate the end of school. Yay! Aren't you excited, Shinji?"

"Yeah…"

"What are you thinking about? You look sad."

"Well, it's just I wasn't able to get anything out of Asuka today."

"You mean you finally confronted her?"

"Yeah. I was scared-I thought she was going to slap me or something, but she didn't. She just didn't give me any answers like she was avoiding the question all together."

"Oh that's too bad. Why should you be sad about her problems? You already talked to her. Just get over it. Don't let her leaving cause you to mope and ruin your summer vacation."

"Well, I overheard her talking to Hikari that she's leaving right after school for the airport and that she doesn't know when she'll come back."

"So?"

"I don't know. I kinda miss her. I wanted to talk to her one last time before she left to maybe… I don't know… get things straightened out."

"Don't worry. I'm here for the summer. I'll be there for you."

"I know. I heard you share it with the rest of the class. Thanks, Mitsuki."

"So how about that date, tonight?"

"Okay sure, I guess. How about I show up at your house at 6? Does that sound fine?"

"How about 7? I need more time to get ready."

"Okay."

"Yay! I'm so excited. Our first date together," squealed Mitsuki with delight. Shinji winced with pain as the girl emitted those high-pitched sounds and watched her disappear over the horizon, presumably headed to her house.

"Asuka…" muttered Shinji under his breath as his thoughts randomly turned to the red-headed girl.

_Shinji: Mitsuki is right. I shouldn't be worrying so much about her. I can't really do anything right now anyways. Maybe she'll be better when she comes back._

Shinji turned towards his apartment for to catch a quick nap before his impending date.

* * *

A loud chime went off as Shinji depressed the button on the doorbell to Mitsuki's house. Before he was able to press it again, the door swung open to reveal a casually dressed Mitsuki with a pleased look on face, excited to see Shinji showing up for their date.

_Shinji: Wow, she looks so beautiful even in just casual clothes. I wonder what she'd look like all dressed up._

"Hey Mitsuki. You ready to go?"

"Yeah, just gimme a second to grab my coat and purse."

Mitsuki ducked back into the house and within a few seconds came out with an even bigger smile on her face.

"So… Shinji, where are we going for dinner?" asked Mitsuki as she closed the door to her house and locked up.

"I was thinking maybe the ramen shop down by the shopping district."

"Oh, I've always wanted to go there. I've heard good things about that place. At least I know you have good taste," said Mitsuki as she gave Shinji a wink and then a hug. She wrapped her arm around Shinji and headed in the direction of the shopping district.

After only a few minutes of walking, they could already make out the cute lettering on top of the ramen stand. Even from that distance, they could clearly make out the words "Yamada's Ramen House." Excited, Mitsuki pulled Shinji in closer and ran towards the stand with her continued enthusiasm, dragging poor Shinji along with her.

Mitsuki took a seat and pulled Shinji down on the seat next to hers.

"What can I get for you guys?" asked Yamada as he stood behind the counter looking at the budding couple.

"Hey, Shinji, do you want to share something?" asked Mitsuki as she perused the menu looking for something that would satisfy her starving stomach.

"Uh… that's alright. I usually eat a lot." Mitsuki looked a little sad that Shinji was unwilling to share a meal with her. Thoughts of her and Shinji feeding each other vanished.

"Anything look good to you?" inquired Shinji.

"I think I'll have the shark fin ramen with extra vegetables, please."

"Coming right up, and for you, sir?" asked Yamada.

"The usual, Yamada."

Yamada nodded and smiled back at the young couple.

"So how did you find out about this place?"

"Oh. Asuka and I go here all the time to get dinner when our parents are working late at NERV."

"Oh." Mitsuki looked a little sad at hearing Shinji mention Asuka.

"You okay?" Mitsuki smiled a bit as she noticed Shinji's concern for her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired after today."

"But we didn't really do anything in class."

"Must be the heat then."

"Yeah, must be… so Shinji, tell me about yourself. I don't think we got the chance to really know each other."

"Um… I'm 14. Uh… I don't know what else. Sorry."

"How about what you like to do in your free time?"

"Well, I like to play the cello in my spare time. Do you play a musical instrument?"

"Oh no. I don't think my parents could tolerate another kid screeching an instrument in the house."

"Oh. Does that mean you have a brother or sister that plays?"

"Yeah, my older sister plays the violin."

"Oh kinda like Asuka."

"Uh… yeah. I guess. Maybe without the red hair," said Mitsuki as she lightly chuckled. "So anything else? You can't just play the cello all day."

"Well I guess the rest of my free time is occupied with Asuka dragging me wherever."

"Like?"

"Well, she likes to go shopping a lot. I guess she takes me along because she doesn't like going alone. Or maybe she needs someone to help carry all the clothes that she buys."

"Oh."

"What about you? Anything you'd like to share or something. I don't know."

"Well, I like to run a lot. Running around, it frees me and gives me so much energy. It's exhilarating. You should try it sometime, Shinji. You might like it."

"I don't think I could keep up, and I don't want to slow you down."

"That's alright. I'm sure after a week you'll be in top shape. I'm a tough trainer."

"Er… Might take more than a week." Shinji winced at the idea of Mitsuki whipping him to go faster.

"We have all summer to work on it."

"If you say so." Shinji sighed as he surrendered the argument to Mitsuki.

"The food is ready!" yelled Yamada as he filled two bowls with ramen and placed both steaming bowls of ramen in front of the two. Shinji almost looked like he was salivating at the sight of his delicious dinner. All chaos broke loose as Shinji devoured his food with absolute ferocity as Mitsuki watched in absolute horror.

"Um… Shinji." Mitsuki poked Shinji to get his attention.

"Yeah?" Shinji mumbled with ramen still dripping out of his mouth.

"Do you eat like this all the time?"

"Actually I don't think I'm that bad. I'm just really hungry right now. You should see it when Asuka eats. It's SO funny. She does this th-"

Shinji was silenced as Mitsuki put her finger on Shinji's lips.

"Huh?"

"Stop talking about Asuka so much. You're with me, Shinji. Your new girlfriend."

"B-but she's my friend."

"For how long?"

"Huh?"

"How long has she been your friend?"

"7 years."

"Gosh. That really is a long time."

"I know. She's been the first person I think I can call a friend."

"But she calls you 'baka-Shinji' all the time. How's that treating you like a friend? And she's so mean and all. She gives people these venomous stares."

"To everyone else. I don't think she's really insulting me when she calls me a 'baka.' And she's not really that mean. Once you get to know her, she's really nice." Shinji smiled as he recalled all the warm moments he had with Asuka.

"Forget it. Let's just drop it and enjoy our meal." Mitsuki poked at her meal with her chopsticks.

"Okay…" said Shinji as he returned to slurping up his meal. After several minutes, Shinji finished his meal and watched as Mitsuki carefully and meticulously ate hers.

"You know sometimes I'm a vegetarian," said Mitsuki as she broke the silence.

"Oh? How does that work?"

"Well some days I don't eat meat and other days I guess I indulge myself and enjoy it."

"That is weird."

"Not so much. I guess it's more of being health conscious or something like that."

"Er… okay."

Mitsuki went back to eating her meal. She stopped as the bowl was half-full. She turned towards Shinji and patted her stomach, an indication of her stomach now satiated.

"Done already?" Shinji looked confused as Asuka usually finished her meal even before Shinji did.

"I'm pretty full. They give pretty big portions."

"Are you going to home, then?"

"Let's not ruin the night just yet. Let's go somewhere fun." Mitsuki giggled a bit as she wrestled for Shinji's hand.

"Where?" Shinji asked as he finally surrendered to Mitsuki's perseverance.

"Like… I don't know. Some place that you hang out often or feel comfortable at."

"Well, Touji, Kensuke, and I like to hang out at the arcade, but I doubt you want to go there."

"Have you been there with Asuka?"

"Huh? Why does that matter?"

"Never mind. Any other places where we can sit and talk?"

"I know this nice stop along the side of the road where you can see the sunset and watch Tokyo-3's night lights."

"That sounds good, let's go."

Shinji nodded and started to lead Mitsuki to his favorite place in the world.

* * *

"Wow, I never thought that this vantage point would be so beautiful."

"I told you," said Shinji as he nudged Mitsuki, acknowledging her sincere comment.

Shinji didn't know how long it was silent, but seemed to stretch for an eternity. He hoped that he didn't have to be the one to speak up and break the awkward silence, but it almost seemed like he would have to or else he wouldn't stop fidgeting from the weirdness. Fortunately for Shinji, Mitsuki looked like she was about to say something as she started to mouth words in preparation for speech of some sort. Shinji stopped fidgeting to listen to her carefully.

"Shinji?" Shinji had expected something longer than that from her.

"Yeah?" Shinji turned to face her, directing his full attention to the girl in front of him. Shinji watched as the girl scooted closer to him and leaned in for a kiss. Shinji felt compelled to kiss back, losing himself in Mitsuki's beautiful heterochromatic eyes. Mitsuki suddenly pulled back from the kiss, startling Shinji from the loss of contact between the two.

"Do you like me, Shinji?"

"Yeah. I think so."

"You think so?! What about Asuka?"

"What about her?" asked Shinji, completely baffled as to what their relationship had to do with his childhood friend.

"Do you like her?"

"Of course."

"What?!"

"She's been my friend for so long. I can't hate her, so obviously I must like her."

"But do you like her in a sort of way… like how I like you?" asked Mitsuki, unsure of how to explain something completely obvious to her to someone as clueless as Shinji.

"No, I don't think so. Even if I did have those feelings for her, she'd never reciprocate."

Mitsuki started laughing. She just couldn't help herself.

"What's so funny?"

"Sometimes Shinji, I think you're completely oblivious to the world around us."

"Okay…"

"Can you walk me home? I'm kinda tired," said Mitsuki as she yawned and stretched her arms out.

"Sure."

Shinji and Mitsuki turned around and started walking to Mitsuki's house. Suddenly, Mitsuki started jogging, and Shinji felt compelled to keep up with her.

"Um… what… are… you… doing?" inquired Shinji, very much out of breath from running. It's been a while since Shinji had gotten physical exercise, but he was very surprised that he was still able keep up. Maybe all that time Asuka chasing him, threatening to kill him, paid off.

As suddenly as she started running, Mitsuki stopped running. Shinji almost plowed in her, but was able to avoid her at the last minute.

"Whoa… Why did you stop?"

"We're at my house."

"Hey, that was pretty fast."

"Isn't running fun? I bet you didn't even notice that we were near my house when I stopped."

"Yeah. I sure am glad Asuka kept me in shape." Shinji started chuckling at his comment and thought Mitsuki would start as well. Obviously confused, Shinji glanced at her face. Her face seemed to be distorted into a look of confusion and anger.

"Um… Mitsuki?" Shinji asked with a hint of concern for Mitsuki's facial expression.

"I think I'm going to head in. Thanks for walking me home." Her last comments trailed off into a mumble. Mitsuki's face went to blank. Shinji couldn't figure what she was feeling no matter how hard he tried. She jogged up to her house to open the door and glanced back at where Shinji was. He had already left, leaving without even saying goodbye. Mitsuki angrily slammed the door, causing the neighbor's dog to start barking at an imaginary intruder.

* * *

It was a beautiful Saturday morning. Shinji awoke refreshed as ever, especially not having to be woken up by that annoying alarm clock of his. He got up and took his morning shower. After drying off and dressing, he took a peek around the house. It was quiet.

_Shinji: I guess my parents decided to work today as well. I suppose I'll cook breakfast for myself… Nah, I'll just have some cereal._

Shinji opened the fridge to search for the milk and glanced upon the note left by his mom, carefully taped to some Tupperware.

"Shinji, heat this up on the stove for your lunch. Your dad and I will be working late tonight. I left you some money on the counter for dinner. Enjoy. Love, Mom."

_Shinji: I wonder what I should do today._

Shinji began to ponder about the things that he was going to get done for the day, when his phone rang, shaking him out of his reverie. Shinji glanced at the phone, hoping to get a hint of who was calling via caller ID.

_Shinji: I wonder who it is. Doesn't seem to be anyone in my phonebook. I hope it's not another telemarketer. I hate that Kensuke signed me up for a bunch of spam. Ever since he did that, I've been getting a bunch of random phone calls from people who want me to increase my penis length._

Tired of the phone's incessant ringing, Shinji gave up and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Shinji didn't hear a vocal response, but he could hear labored breathing as if the person on the other side was out of breath or having a difficult time putting thoughts into words.

"Shinji," the voice said. It was a familiar voice that Shinji recognized well by now. He had just walked her home last night.

"Mitsuki. Hey, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine. I just wanted to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" Shinji was confused to what she was getting at.

"Us."

"What about us?"

"I don't think we should see each other anymore."

"Why? What's wrong? I thought last night was fine."

"You don't see it, but I do. You still like Asuka. And until you can give her up, I don't think we can be together. I mean you constantly talk about her. You're always spacing out, probably thinking about her. I just… can't take it anymore."

Mitsuki's sadness was very clear even through the phone.

"Huh… okay… if you say so."

"Lemme know how it goes. If things change, you know where I live. Bye Shinji."

Before Shinji could say goodbye, Mitsuki had already hung up. Shinji slumped against the wall and slid to the floor, lost in his thoughts.

"Asuka…"

* * *

**End Notes:** Whew. That was a lot of dialogue. Stay tuned for the next chapter that should be coming soon, although I might work on another fanfic before then. 


	4. The Call

**Author's Notes:** I don't know exactly what date it is, which is why I never mention a specific time. This is intentional as I don't want to bother coordinating the proper time for these events-it's just too much of a hassle. This chapter is going to be short. I mean it's titled, 'the call.' How long can a call be?

Reviews! Also plotlines. I think the audience deserves a way to shape the storyline. Besides… I'm running out of ideas as soon as this arc ends. Thanks again Hitori Kennin for the pre-read.

The klaxon alarms go off. The world spins into chaos. CAUTION: YOU ARE NOW ENTERING EXTREME WAFF TERRITORY.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and am writing this fanfic for pure enjoyment.

* * *

**CHAPTER 4: THE CALL**

It was quiet in the house. The summer heat had driven everyone inside. Shinji found himself preoccupied with restringing his cello while a certain red-head watched from the kitchen table.

"Shinji?"

"Yes?" Shinji looked up slightly to glance at his friend.

"I'm bored."

Shinji got up and rubbed his arm. The swarm of mosquitoes had descended over Tokyo-3 and threatened to cause itches everywhere.

"So what do you want to do? Nothing outside, please. It's just too hot, Asuka."

"I know that, dumpkoff."

"Then what?"

"Do you want to kiss?"

"What?! Where did you get an idea like that?"

"I'm bored, Shinji."

"Have you ever kissed someone, Shinji?"

Shinji shook his head and continued to stare blankly at Asuka.

"So why not? Let's do it."

Shinji hesitated until Asuka spoke up again. "What? Are you scared? Is Shinji Ikari afraid to kiss a girl?"

"N-no… I just thought you might be toying with me again." Shinji wrestled with his hands indicating a toying motion.

"Who cares… Are you ready?"

"Yep," said Shinji while simultaneously nodding.

"Well then, here I come," said Asuka as she started to tread forward.

Asuka approached Shinji from the kitchen table and stopped a foot in front of Shinji. Already she could feel Shinji's breath tickling her neck.

"Your breath tickles."

"Sorry."

As she got closer, she could feel the hairs on her neck, slowly swaying to Shinji's rhythmic breathing. She stopped again a few inches before their lips would meet. She stared straight into Shinji's eyes. Those dark blue eyes that she could get lost in forever. Likewise, Shinji was lost in Asuka's clear blue eyes. They offered so much clarity into her soul, but he also saw a fiery passion behind it.

"What's wrong?" asked Shinji, noticing Asuka's hesitation to inch closer.

"Nothing…" Asuka's words trailed off as Shinji decided to take the initiative for once and pressed his lips into Asuka's.

They were warm. So incredibly warm and moist. Shinji pushed back into Asuka and grabbed her arms, pinning her to the wall as he continued to kiss. They were gentle kisses, and Asuka found herself enjoying the kisses from a Shinji that grew a spine.

"Oh Shinji…"

"Asuka…"

"WARK!"

"Huh?" Shinji broke contact with Asuka's lips as he tried to locate the source of the intrusion.

He blinked.

Suddenly, the warm feeling of the kitchen was replaced with a dark and dreary room. It was Shinji's room. He could hear the sound of rain pattering against the window. What a miserable day.

Shinji turned to see a black mass to the right of him. As his vision cleared, he saw it was his pet penguin, Pen-Pen.

"Thanks a lot, Pen-Pen. I was having a good dream too," muttered Shinji in false appreciation.

"WARK?" Sometimes it almost seemed like Pen-Pen understood what Shinji was talking about.

Shinji turned around to look at his alarm clock. He could barely make out the red numerals that glowed from the clock. "5:37" it read.

_Shinji: I suppose it's too late to go back to sleep. I might as well get up and make breakfast._

Shinji yawned a little and stretched his arms as if he was reaching for the sky. He quickly got up and decided to start his morning ritual. He wasn't going to let a ruined dream mess up his day.

_Shinji: My day, huh? A day of many summer days without Asuka…_

Shinji's face unconsciously turned to a frown as he thought about his childhood friend. As he was immersed in deep thought, he began to auto-pilot his way into cooking a breakfast. It was something he had done so often since he was a child when his parents would be gone days at a time to work at NERV. He wasn't sure what they worked on, but he knew that Asuka's mother did the same. It was those days that Asuka would seek comfort at Shinji's apartment while eating what she thought was the best breakfast in the world. Naturally, Shinji was flattered by that. It was hard enough to get praise from Asuka, and he took what little he could get from her.

"Asuka…" It had been an unimaginable amount of weeks that had gone by without her. Already Shinji had missed Asuka dragging him to the shopping mall to be her mule, but he didn't care. He spent that time talking to the friend that he… loved?

Shinji turned to transfer the contents of the pan to his plate. He reached for a fork and sat down, not realizing what he had just made on the stove.

_Shinji: Eh? What's this? Scrambled eggs with a side of sausages… Asuka's favorite breakfast... Ugh, even my subconscious has to keep reminding me of her absence._

For the first time in a while, Shinji admitted that he was alone. Utterly alone. Kensuke was gone. Probably gallivanting around Japan. Touji was at some basketball camp where supposedly all the high school all-stars practiced. Shinji snickered at that thought. Only Touji would be the kind of fool to believe that kind of crap.

His parents… well, they were probably too tired from their experiments to even care. Even with all the hours that Shinji had been putting into helping them, it seemed that there was always work to be done. All those hours that Shinji put to use in helping them so he could ignore his loneliness seemed to lead nowhere.

And Asuka… she was probably somewhere in Germany, enjoying the sights, going out with college guys, and probably completely forgetting about the existence of a one Shinji Ikari. Shinji thought about calling her, but he wasn't sure how he would talk to her. It was like the mere absence of Asuka turned Shinji into the spineless wimp he knew he once was.

_Shinji: I'm such a coward… nothing but a coward._

Shinji banged his fist on the table in frustration, causing a light clang of the plates as they settled back down. In a moment of frustration, Shinji grabbed the phone staring at it as if staring at would will the phone to automatically dial Asuka's number.

A week ago, Hikari had called Shinji. She hinted at what she thought was the cause of Asuka's change in behavior towards Shinji, but she was still too vague for someone like Shinji. Despite Asuka's begging before she left, Hikari willingly left the number to reach Asuka in Germany in case Shinji ever drummed up the courage to call her. How like the class rep to do something noble like that. That's probably why the rest of the class continued to admire and idolize her. Maybe that's why Shinji was noticing Touji's change around Hikari as well. Shinji chuckled as he thought of how the two tried to hide feelings for each other throughout the school year.

_Shinji: And he calls me whipped…_

Shinji grinned again at his internal commentary. Reality snapped back as he stared down at his trembling hands, still clutching the phone.

_Shinji: Is it that hard to just go to the phonebook and dial Asuka's number?_

Shinji closed his eyes, deep in thought. He fingers grazed over the buttons of the phone until he found the round one in the top right corner of the keypad. He depressed the button, causing the phone emit a light beep. Asuka's number was the first entry. Shinji hesitated again, almost setting down the phone, but gave into his willpower and hit 'Dial.'

_Shinji: Please don't pick up, please don't pick up, please don't pick up…_

Shinji prayed in his mind, unsure of what he would say if Asuka picked up the phone. He wasn't sure that he was ready yet to confront the red-head even over the safety of the phone. Perhaps, her ingenuity allowed her to develop a device to smack people across the phone line. Shinji rubbed the back of the head as if he had already been smacked.

The phone rang once… no twice… three times.

_Shinji: One more and I get the voicemail._

"Hallo," said the female voice over the phone. Shinji gave no response. "Hikari, is that you?"

Shinji just stood there, holding the phone in fright, unable to speak a word. He could almost feel the anger boiling in Asuka as no one cared to answer her. The next thing Shinji heard was the audible click of the phone disconnecting. Asuka had hung up on him. Why shouldn't she? She had every right to hang up on someone who was unable to get any words out of his mouth.

Shinji, still holding the phone, slumped against the wall, all dejected. A lone tear crept down the side of his cheek as he sat on the cold kitchen floor. Alone. Again.

* * *

Asuka was sitting at her desk contemplating how to pass time. She was bored. There was nothing else to do at night except to go out and have fun, but her grandmother forbid it. She said it was dangerous for a girl like her, especially in Berlin. Asuka sighed as she thumbed the photo album that she had sitting open in front of her. Her grandmother had showed it to her so that she could see what her mother was like when she was younger. Her thoughts of her mother wandered to the thoughts of her friends in Tokyo-3. Kensuke. Touji. She laughed at the thought of those two. Even though they argued all the time, she still considered them friends. She had a loose definition for a friend. Hikari. She smiled as she thought of how happy Hikari always looked. 

_Asuka: I wish I was always that happy. I wonder if someone is in her life that makes her that way. Now that I think about it, I think Shinji mentioned something about Touji and…_

"Shinji…" she thought out loud.

_Asuka: I wonder how he's doing. Probably just listening to his music. I really miss hearing him play though._

Asuka jumped a little in her seat as the phone next her started to ring. She stared at it for a while wondering who would call her at a time like this.

_Asuka: Probably someone in Tokyo-3. It's like early morning there right now._

After three rings, Asuka got tired of hearing it and picked up the phone.

"Hallo," she said. No response.

"Hikari, is that you?"

_Asuka: Stupid question. Hikari would have been excited to talk to her, not this quiet._

In her mind, she imagined that it was Shinji on the other side of the line. She recalled recently that Hikari had called her and told her that she had given Shinji her number in Germany. At first, Asuka was furious, yelling several German expletives at Hikari, before calming down as Hikari defended herself against her best friend. After Hikari had hung up, Asuka realized that it was probably a good thing that Hikari gave Shinji her number. He then would be able to apologize to her or at least talk to her out of her boredom.

_Asuka: Only a coward like him would call me and not say anything._

Frustrated with Shinji, Asuka slammed the phone, disconnecting the line.

She continued to sit at her chair for a few minutes, and then reached up to touch her lips. Memories of a recent dream flashed before her eyes, but stopped as she pried her fingers off. With a yawn, Asuka slipped into her bed and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Shinji sat motionless on his couch. The TV was blaring, but there was nothing good. It was just another day… 

_Shinji: Another day without Asuka…_

Shinji mentally kicked himself for not being able to say anything to Asuka for the past week. Each time he called he froze at the sound of her voice. It was as if the mere sound of Asuka paralyzed his voice box. He couldn't even stammer out any words to indicate to Asuka that he still existed.

For the past week, he called Asuka at the same time every day stopping when he heard Asuka's greeting. It was as if both silently recognized each other over the phone, waiting until Asuka's frustration hung up the phone before Shinji was able to continue on with the rest of his day.

Shinji looked at the clock. It was almost time. He pulled out the phone and instinctively dialed Asuka's number. He wasn't sure what would happen this time. Would it be the same as the last 7 times? Would he just choke or would he finally be able to talk to his friend?

The phone began to ring.

* * *

Asuka stared at the clock. It was almost time. Almost time for Shinji's call. He had been calling for the past week at the precisely the same time, almost down to the second. Asuka grinned at the thought of Shinji being punctual for once in his life. 

The phone sprang to life, ringing once, twice, and finally three times before Asuka's hand shot out and brought the handset to her mouth in time to say "Hallo."

Again, there was silence. Something Asuka expected. She started tapping against the table in frustration, something she hadn't thought of doing before to alleviate her angst.

"Hello, Asuka." This time, Asuka was shocked. Blood drained from her face as she tried to comprehend what just happened.

_Asuka: Baka-Shinji just replied. He said something. He actually said something for a change._

"Hi, baka-Shinji," said Asuka in a condescending tone.

"H-how did you know it was me?" A rhetorical question as Shinji knew fully well how Asuka knew.

"Because you're a coward."

"I know. But would a coward apologize?" Asuka gasped, but had no reply as Shinji continued to speak. "Asuka, I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what, dumpkoff?"

"I don't know… Sorry for whatever I did to drive you away."

"You're such an idiot."

"I know." Shinji felt the best way to apologize was to agree to whatever Asuka said.

"How can you be sorry for something you don't know is wrong?"

"I just am."

"If you don't know what it is, then what's to stop you from doing it again?"

"I don't know. I was hoping you could tell me what's wrong." Asuka scoffed at that answer.

"That would be the easy way out."

"But Asuka, please." Shinji sounded like he was begging over the phone.

"Please what?"

"Please come back to Tokyo-3. Please come back to me." Asuka gasped again at Shinji's last words.

"What?! What do you mean?"

"Um-uh-um…" Shinji stammered as he recognized the flaw in his wording.

"Quit stammering and get to the point!" yelled Asuka obviously frustrated with that particular flaw in the boy's personality.

"I just want you to come back. It's lonely here without you."

"Anything else?" Asuka seemed impatient as if she was waiting for Shinji to say something.

"I don't know what's going on between us, but I think you should come back and talk. Or at least we can go back to being friends."

"I guess we can talk… we can still be friends… but why should I come back? Germany is so much fun," said Asuka, trying to suppress the sarcasm in her voice.

"Please come home. I miss you." Asuka melted at those words.

_Asuka: Baka-Shinji misses me…_

"I don't know what to say, Shinji."

"Just come back for now. We can talk about stuff later."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Asuka!" yelled an elated Shinji, not expecting her to come back with such immediacy.

"Don't get too excited. You'd better be at the airport or your ass is mine," sneered Asuka.

"Okay bye!" yelled Shinji, too excited to contain himself.

* * *

Shinji smiled as he hung up the phone. At that point, the door gave way, and his parents walked in on a beaming Shinji. Puzzled, his parents looked at each, both unable to ascertain exactly what had brightened up a boy that had been sullen for the past week. 

"Why are you so excited, Shinji?" asked Yui.

"Asuka's coming home," said Shinji as he smiled and went to his room. A few moments later, the peaceful melodies of his cello could be heard.

* * *

Asuka set the handset down as Shinji hung up. She looked into the adjacent room to see her grandmother weaving a sweater. Slowly, Asuka approached her, stopping just in front of her to garner her attention. Her grandmother looked up and gave Asuka a warm smile. Asuka couldn't resist. She bent down and hugged her. 

As Asuka pulled away from the warm embrace, her grandmother asked, "Now what was that for?"

"I'm going home, grandma."

"Oh?" Her grandmother was obviously surprised, but at the same time, happy for Asuka.

"Did he call?"

"Yes, he did."

* * *

**End Notes:** Awwwww… WAFF up the wazoo. I think I write too fast. Two episodes in one day. 


	5. The Return

**Author's Notes:** I know the last chapter was too WAFFy. I couldn't help myself. It almost makes a good climatic ending to a WAFF, but the show must go on. The plotline seems to be coming along. The next couple of episodes will be more like fillers, but not everything will be WAFFy. This is a romance; expect angst but not to the degree of Evangelion. I mean, after all, the title of this fanfic is called 'Happier Days.' At this point, it seems difficult for me to introduce angst without introducing something like the Evas. What do you guys think about introducing the Evas to this storyline?

This is my attempt to try a different style of writing, using more descriptions when traditionally my other episodes have been entirely dialogue-driven. Of course, this change is definitely going to slow down the plot, but I'd really like to know what people think of writing my fanfic this way.

Again, thanks to my pre-read, Hitori Kennin, for helping out.

**Revision Notes:** I made it less WAFFy so as Shinji is less OOC.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and am writing this fanfic for pure enjoyment.

* * *

**CHAPTER 5: THE RETURN**

The sound of jet turbines whined through the air as plane after plane lined up with the landing strip, dropped to the asphalt, and screeched to halt in front of the numerous gates that made up the Tokyo-3 International Airport.

Shinji pressed his face against the glass pane that separated the rest of the airport from the secure area. It was cold and felt especially good on one of the hottest days of the summer. Shinji looked up again for the umpteenth time to make sure that he was still standing in the right place. The green sign with white lettering above him that said "Arrival" would only serve to calm his nerves again for the next 5 minutes.

Shinji wanted desperately to stand just outside the gate so that he would be the first friendly face that Asuka saw in what she still considered a foreign land, but despite the privileges offered by his parents' standing in NERV, the airport security were insistent on him staying outside of the secure area. For now, Shinji could only stare as far as he could through the glass pane, trying to get his eyes to bend around the corner so as to see more of the terminal.

Shinji spun around to look at the arrivals board, scanning down the list until his eyes hit "Flight 939," the flight that Asuka was on. His eyes shifted to the right a bit to read the words that shocked him to his core. "Arrived." Shinji started to review in his mind what he had prepared for so long to say to Asuka. Somehow, he knew that as soon as he saw the red-head, he would lose all his composure. Nevertheless, he still persevered, mostly to settle his own nerves, but mainly to see if he could bring out the willpower hidden inside that allowed him to speak to Asuka in the first place.

Shinji held his breath as he saw people rounding the corner as they headed through the hallway opposite the security checkpoint. He felt that it was alright to assume that the people heading his way were the ones fresh off the flight from Germany after noticing that many of them were conversing in German. Shinji couldn't hold his breath anymore and exhaled. The surge of people turned into a trickle and soon, the flow of people stopped.

Shinji felt sweat building up in the palm of his hand as he got more nervous and nervous. Dark thoughts ran through his head as he thought of horrible scenarios that could have possibly delayed Asuka. Thoughts of her lying in a pool of her own blood in a ditch somewhere while someone boarded her plane with her ticket. Thoughts of her collapsing in some secluded place where no one would search for her cold lifeless body. He shuddered at those thoughts. He shook his head violently as if in the act of doing so those negative thoughts would fly out of his head like loose marbles. Shinji tried to calmly breathe to reassure himself that perhaps she was just in the bathroom, taking her time to look her best for him. He smiled at that thought: her imagined concern for him.

Suddenly, warmth enveloped him.

_Shinji: It's so warm… Wait…_

The warmth emanated from the arms that were now wrapped around his waist. Shinji tried to turn around, but the arms were strong enough to hold him in place. As he stopped resisting, he felt the arms brush up against his shoulders as they continued their way up to his face. His vision darkened as slender hands moved to cover his eyes. With a brief glance, he noted that the owner of the hands possessed beautiful fair skin.

"Guess who?" the owner of the hands said in a soft yet joyful voice.

His mind warmed to the imagery of Asuka standing behind him, gently pressing her hands over his eyes. He smiled, feeling his cheeks push up on her hands. She shuffled a little in reaction to his smile.

"Asuka," replied Shinji in a calm and cool manner, something that surprised both Asuka and himself. Shinji heard giggling in response to his answer and felt the hands remove their presence from his eyes, allowing him the opportunity to turn around and confirm his educated guess.

Shinji spun around in excitement. His body relaxed as he saw the flare of red hair from the corner of his eyes. His eyes settled onto the beautiful face covered with Asuka's radiant red hair. It was Asuka, indeed. A pair of red hair clips held her hair together in the style that she liked. She was wearing a sleek, yellow sundress, a dress similar to the one she wore when he first met her. He smiled at this realization, wondering whether it was on purpose or not. Shinji's mouth opened to ask but stopped as he saw the corners of Asuka's mouth quiver upwards into the most beautiful smile. It seemed to temporarily banish all of his negative thoughts into the deepest corner of his mind. Asuka looked at Shinji and giggled a little.

"Were you going to say something?" asked Asuka, accurately interpreting his open mouth as an indication of something on his mind.

"Um… I don't remember." Asuka laughed, surprised at the effect she had on Shinji.

"C'mon, let's go," said Asuka as she turned to leave while simultaneously grabbing onto Shinji's arm. Shinji opened his mouth to protest but eventually decided against it, basking in the happiness that Asuka's return brought him.

Shinji turned to look at his companion as they continued to walk towards the Tokyo-3 Loop Line station. She had a smirk on her face that reflected her mood. Shinji's eyes dropped down, examining Asuka's gait. It was somewhere in between a skip and a hop.

The subway station was a clamor of sounds. The beggar playing his guitar mixed with the everyday conversation of traveling businessmen crowded the air around the station. Despite that, they could still hear over the noise the distinct monotonous voice of the announcer.

"9-car train for the western residential district in 2 minutes. 5-car train for the eastern residential district in 7 minutes."

Shinji chuckled to himself as he watched Asuka tap her foot with impatience. Asuka looked at him with a curious face.

"What, baka?"

_Shinji: Same old Asuka…_

Shinji just smiled and said, "Just glad to have you back. That's all."

"You better! You get the chance to hang out with the prettiest girl in all of Tokyo-3," said Asuka in the most arrogant voice she could manage. It was loud enough above all the commotion to attract the attention of nearby passengers. Many of them turned around to examine the source of such a claim. A group of men even whistled at Asuka to confirm her statement but were quickly silenced by her venomous glare. They shuddered and backed up, turning away in quiet contemplation of the devil unleashed.

Shinji didn't say anything about what he saw before him. He found himself quite content just accepting the fact that Asuka was back, unwilling to get into an argument with her at this time.

"9-car train for the western residential district arriving on platform 2. Board center."

The train whirled past them, displacing the air in front of it and blowing some loose trash around the station. The rapid displacement of air felt like a calm breeze to Shinji, evaporating his sweat and instantly putting him into a state of relaxation. Asuka's dress flapped in this breeze, threatening to expose what lay underneath, at least until Asuka grabbed the edges of her dress to prevent that. Shinji gave her a puzzled look as to what she was doing. Asuka silently replied with the "what are you, dense?" look. Suddenly, Shinji smirked when he realized what Asuka had intended to prevent.

The clatter of footsteps could be heard as people rushed into the train as if running into the train would enable them to get to their destination faster. A distinct beep was heard as it warned the passengers that the door was closing.

Shinji recalled an incident last summer. Apparently, a drunken NERV technician had ignored the beep about the door as he stood at the divide between the platform and the train. The feedback mechanism failed as the door closed on his foot and sliced it off as if the door was a guillotine blade. Shinji cringed at the thought of how much pain the technician probably had to endure before he remembered from the news reports that apparently the technician didn't feel a thing, too far lost in his drunken stupor to even notice that his foot was gone until the next day.

Asuka noted Shinji's cringe and out of concern for him asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Just thinking about that guy who got his foot stuck in the door." Asuka cringed herself as she created the necessary mental image.

"Oh."

The westbound train slowly pulled out from the station. Asuka continued to cling to her own dress just in case. There were still 4 more minutes before their train would arrive, and already Shinji was feeling awkward about the silence between Asuka and him.

"Asuka?"

"Hmm?"

"Over the phone… you said… that we could…" Shinji hesitated. His legs swayed back and forth as he fidgeted in his mind.

"Talk?" said Asuka completing Shinji's sentence. Shinji nodded as if his voice was still stuck on his last words.

"Not now…"

"Why not?" inquired Shinji, wondering why Asuka still felt the need to be reserved.

"Please, Shinji. It can wait."

Shinji wasn't sure what to make of it. To him, it seemed like Asuka was still trying to avoid whatever was bothering her. He wasn't sure how to make it right. After all, Asuka had only agreed to return because Shinji promised change. To fix what was wrong. He couldn't tell what was wrong without talking to Asuka.

"5-car train for the eastern residential district arriving on platform 1. Board center."

Reflexively, both of them moved up to the yellow line that indicated where the door was going to open.

"This is us," said Asuka, trying to reassure Shinji that she wanted to go home first.

Again, the train plowed forward into the station, stopping with nary a screech of the tracks, a testament to Japanese engineering. Asuka's hand reached out to grasp Shinji's and tugged him towards the door of the train as it slid open.

Asuka's eyes scanned the train car, looking for the most isolated seat where two people could just sit. Another one of her criterion for a seat was that it had to face forward. She would develop a wave of nausea if she sat on a seat facing the wrong way, and the last thing, she wanted on her ride home was to feel nauseous. She noticed a suitable seat towards the end of the car and motioned to Shinji the general area of where she wanted to sit. She let go of his hand; Shinji already missed the warmth that was once so gently clasped in his hand.

Asuka walked up to the seat and examined it for any dirty marks before plopping down on the seat with a sigh, content that she would almost be home. Shinji took a look at the seat next to her and the seats surrounding it. He was unsure of where he should sit. Their relationship had taken such complicated turns that even the simple process of picking a seat with her was difficult for him to reason through.

Asuka noticed Shinji's confusion. It was the same turmoil that fought a bloody battle in her heart and still resulted in a draw.

_Asuka: I came for him, did I not? So wouldn't I want him close to me?_

Asuka tried to rationalize it in her head. Only a few seconds passed in reality, but to both Shinji and Asuka, it seemed like an eternity. An eternity that would define their relationship or at least, make it less complicated. With a quick gesture, this complication was diminished as Asuka looked at Shinji and then glanced at the seat next her. Shinji examined her face clearly, looking for an expression that would betray her usually guarded emotions. What he saw was a face that was clear and inviting. Not knowing how long this invitation would be extended, Shinji immediately sat down next to Asuka and smiled.

"Wake me up when we get there, okay?" said Asuka drowsily as she yawned and placed her head onto Shinji's shoulder, finding comfort in it as she would to a pillow. Shinji did nothing but nod gently, afraid to break the tranquility of the moment. As Asuka dozed off to sleep, Shinji smiled at the warmth on his shoulder, continuing to watch the stations pass by so they don't miss their intended stop.

* * *

Asuka was being nudged. She didn't know why. She heard the sounds of tracks squealing. Her imagination ran wild as she tried to envision where she was. It was warm on Shinji's shoulder, she realized as her mind activated. 

_Asuka: Ugh… jet lag._

With her eyes still closed, she removed her head from Shinji's shoulder and turned towards him. Her bloodshot eyes flittered open only to connect to the eyes of another. Eyes of a deep blue color. The eyes of Shinji Ikari. She smiled. He smiled back and then opened his mouth to speak.

"We're almost there."

"Thanks, Shinji."

"Now arriving at Block 6-S," said the announcer over the loudspeaker.

Shinji abruptly stood up and held out his hand, offering Asuka to take his and let him pull her up. Asuka reluctantly accepted. The door slid open and the two walked out of the train, back onto familiar grounds. In the distance, Asuka could make out the patio of her apartment. It was far, but it wasn't that bad of a walk.

_Asuka: At least I have company._

The walk to Asuka's apartment was rather uneventful. Both Shinji and Asuka were content in not saying anything, not wanting to disturb the silent understanding between the two of them. The continued silence prevailed in the elevator up to the apartment. It wasn't broken until Asuka unlocked the door to her apartment and shouted to no particular person, "I'm home!" There was no response as Asuka had expected. Her mom was working late as usual. Asuka turned around to close the door, noticing that Shinji still had his two feet firmly planted just outside boundary to her apartment.

She smiled and said, "Do you want to come in, Shinji?" Shinji merely nodded and stepped into Asuka's apartment.

Her apartment wasn't really a place that Shinji had been to often despite the fact that Asuka was Shinji's oldest friend. She always talked about how a boy shouldn't intrude on a girl's privacy. Apparently, it didn't work the other way around as Asuka was always hanging around Shinji's room. It was something he didn't understand about Asuka but never dared to ask.

_Shinji: Why does she care so much?_

Asuka led Shinji up to her door. It was different from the rest of the doors in the apartment. While the rest of them were painted in a plain beige color, Asuka's door was bright red. Asuka began to unlock her room, another aspect of her so-called privacy, probably meant to keep her mom out of her affairs. She always hated when people meddled in her business.

Not surprisingly, the rest of her room was also red. It served as a constant reminder of the passion that always resided inside of Asuka. Despite all the abuse that Shinji got from Asuka about how devoid of personality his room was, Asuka's wasn't that much different. Without the red walls, the room was only decorated sparsely with a calendar of cars and several stray posters arranged in a no particular way. Asuka sat down on her bed and motioned Shinji to sit down as well. It was easily twice the size of Shinji's bed. He was nervous about sitting on a girl's bed. It was something he had never done before and for some reason, felt really weird about doing it.

_Shinji: Pull it together! Be a man!_

Shinji ran through several more phrases inside his head to psyche himself up before finally being able to sit down on her bed, albeit on a different side than Asuka. He looked at Asuka. She seemed displeased at his choice of seating and patted the spot next to her with her hand. With a nervous look on his face, Shinji scooted over to where Asuka was.

"Can we talk now?" asked Shinji, not sure yet whether it was appropriate to have their intended conversation.

"Yes."

"I want to know what I did wrong."

Asuka could feel her blood boil and tried to resist the urge to slap Shinji. His denial bothered her, but she calmed down when she remembered how utterly clueless Shinji can be.

"I can't say… it's too hard." Asuka was still very much defiant of her feelings.

"But then how can I fix it?"

"I don't know… why don't we go back to being friends?"

"The way it used to be?"

"The way it used to be." Asuka reassured him by placing her hand on top of his. She looked up into his eyes and smiled.

"Friends…" Shinji said, unsure of what that word meant anymore in relation to Asuka.

_Shinji: But we're more than just friends…_

"And I'll try…" Asuka added. Shinji looked up at her, giving her his full attention. "I'll try to be considerate… when others…" said Asuka, unable to finish her sentence, although Shinji seemed to understand what she was talking about.

It wasn't long before Asuka passed out from the tiredness. Shinji looked back at the mass of red hair on the bed and smiled. He spread her blanket over her and then let himself out, contemplating what he was going to cook for dinner on the way home.

* * *

**End Notes:** Another short chapter and I made it a WAFF again. I'm sorry guys, I can't help it. I'll make a promise I think I can keep. The next few chapters won't be as WAFFy as these last two. 


	6. The Best Summer Ever

**Author's Notes:** Sometimes when I read other fanfics, it makes me sad because some of them are just so good they don't even compare to mine. I guess I'll continue to trudge forward. Sorry, Shinji complex. On the same thought, expect a rewrite of the first couple of chapters. I didn't like the flat characterization of some characters, so I'm going to revise that.

The title sounds WAFFy, it's not really, at least compared to the last couple of chapters. Again, a different writing style. Oh, I have no idea how education is structured in Japan so I'm just going to base it off of the structure in the US.

No pre-read done as it's a short chapter so I just read it through twice instead.

**Revision Notes:** Fixed consistency with the way Asuka addresses other characters.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and am writing this fanfic for pure enjoyment.

* * *

**CHAPTER 6: THE BEST SUMMER EVER**

Shinji tried to relax the best he could, still struggling to sleep. His eyes stared at the familiar ceiling, tracing the contours of the ceiling light as he did the thousand other times he battled with insomnia. Hoping to mentally exhaust himself, he willed his mind to flash back to the events of the last two months, starting with Asuka's return to his life…

The first thing that Asuka did when she got back was use me as mule for her shopping trips. Same old Asuka. After being cooped up for two days in her own home, she decided that her closet just did not contain enough summer clothes. Maybe, it was not enough summer clothes that she liked. I think I recall seeing some of the outfits that she showed discontent with in the dumpster behind her apartment. Still… even being her mule, it gave me the chance to talk to her. We laughed over all the fun times of the school year. To my surprise, she even asked me about my date with Mitsuki. While I was reluctant to share many of the intimate details, she was somehow able to coax it out of me with her pleading smile.

The day after, we got a call from Touji who finally wised up about summer camp and called me up to see if I wanted to hang out and go somewhere. Asuka eavesdropped on my conversation and invited herself along as well. Touji wasn't happy to hear that, but I think I managed to convince him to let her join us. After making her leave Tokyo-3, I just didn't think it was fair to leave her alone in her apartment to be bored out of her wits while I go gallivanting across Japan. Of course, I didn't want to leave out my other close friend, Kensuke. I called him to see what he was doing. It seemed like he wasn't able to see as much as he wanted on the military bases and resorted to just sightseeing around Japan. Figuring that he didn't have anything else to do, I invited Kensuke along despite Asuka's protests against a Stooge reunion.

I must say that Kensuke really knows all the hot tourist locations around Japan. He brought us to this great restaurant around Nagoya. World famous, he said. Touji stuffed his face the whole time we were there. I think Asuka was pretty disgusted until she was so wrapped up in her meal that she just didn't care. We also went back to the beach in Okinawa where we had the class trip just because that beach was so nice. It was soothing once in a while to relax on a nice sandy beach with a couple of friends and watch the eye candy. Thankfully, Asuka took it out on Touji when she saw the three of us gazing at her bathing suit.

Out of the entire summer, the best memory was probably when Kensuke planned a camping trip to some place up by the mountains. I think Asuka had a lot of fun playing army with Kensuke, mainly because she got to kill him a countless number of times. Despite Kensuke's careful planning of the whole trip, he only remembered to pack two two-person tents, neglecting to consider Asuka's privacy needs. Man, was Asuka mad after hearing the news that she would have spend the night with one of us. And Kensuke and Touji sold me out. They forced me to share the tent with her because they claimed that I knew her the best. I don't know which part was worse, the constant abuse from them about about me sleeping with Asuka or Asuka beating the crap out of me when she woke up in the wrong sleeping bag. However, it was nice for once to wake up next to someone so beautiful. Someone I'll never have.

In the end, it was a good summer... a summer that I won't forget…

Shinji's eyes opened. He sighed as he realized that he still wasn't asleep yet. Looking up at his desk, he could see the picture frame that Asuka had gotten him to help personalize his room with memories. It framed the only picture they took on the camping trip. Touji and Shinji stood in the front while Kensuke and Asuka were in the back. Asuka loved to ruin every picture by doing something to tease Shinji, and this picture was no exception. Asuka had given Shinji bunny ears. Shinji didn't really mind, it was a sign of Asuka's personal touch to each picture that he had taken with her. He turned as he tried to find a more comfortable position and started to think about his favorite dream…

It was quiet in the house. The summer heat had driven everyone inside. Shinji found himself preoccupied with restringing his cello while a certain red-head watched from the kitchen table.

"Shinji?"

"Yes?" Shinji looked up slightly to glance at his friend.

"I'm bored."

* * *

Asuka sat in front of her desk. Her desk lamp was the only source of illumination in the room. The sound of scribbling could be heard as Asuka jotted down her thoughts of the past 2 months. The pen suddenly hit the paper with a dull thud as she finished. She frowned, thinking about how the summer was coming to an end. Just another weekend and school would start. Asuka looked down at her notebook and began to reread her own writing: 

August 29

I must say that this summer has been thoroughly exhausting. First of all, dealing with baka-Shinji's stupidity… I guess mine as well. Even though I pride myself upon my confidence, I find it lacking when I try to describe my emotions, especially to that baka. What is it about him that… I mean, we've been best friends for like 7 years. He should practically be able to read my mind from the amount of time that we've spent together. I mean, sure, sometimes I make him do a lot of things that he doesn't want to do… okay that's a lie. Most of the things that I make him do he probably doesn't want to do… so why does he still hang out with me when he could be at the arcade, playing games with the rest of the Stooges. Maybe… nah. I think I'll shelf this thought for another time.

I must say I did a lot of shopping this summer. My wardrobe looks fantastic, and I must really thank Shinji some day for all the help he provides. I wonder how I should thank him… Anything that I think of would make him instantly nosebleed or faint.

Of course, I didn't do shopping for the whole summer. Somehow, Shinji managed to get a Stooge reunion going. I didn't really feel like being left all alone in Tokyo-3, and thankfully, Shinji picked up on the hints that I was dropping him. Sometimes he's so dense, but at least he gets me… sometimes.

We went all over the place. I don't even remember much of it anyways, at least not well enough to describe it in detail. It's all been a blur. Although I do remember the most recent outing… Shinji had always been talking about this great spot that Aida camps at. I persuaded him to convince Aida to plan a trip for us to camp there. It was actually really fun just talking around the camp fire and eating baka-Shinji's food. It did piss me off to no end when Aida realized that he had brought only two tents. That dumpkoff. I was pretty pissed that I had to sleep with an idiot on my first camping trip. At least, I didn't have to sleep with other two members of the Stooges. I don't think I could have withstood being in the same room as two, let alone the same tent. Sometimes I don't know why that baka is friends with the two because they turned their back on him and forced him to sleep in the same tent as me. I guess that's not so bad. It's not like it's the first time baka-Shinji and I have fallen asleep next to each other. I feel kinda bad though for hurting him the next morning when I woke up in his sleeping bag. You see… it was really cold at night, and I wanted more warmth so I snuck into that baka's sleeping bag to share his body warmth. I wasn't really thinking straight about this, but it was really comfortable. He instinctively wrapped his arm around me, and I fell asleep. So it was kinda my fault, even though, he's still a hentai.

I'm really not looking forward to school. I heard that high school is a totally different creature from what I've experienced before. I shudder when I think about all the stares and love letters that I'll get next week. Perverts, all of them. Kaji's the only one for me anyways.

* * *

**End Notes:** Happy 4th everyone! I know this is a short chapter. It's hard to make a reflection and journal entry any longer. In the end, I don't like how this chapter turned out so if you didn't like it either, please be patient, the normal writing will resume soon. 


	7. The First Day

**Author's Note:** The last chapter was short and poor in quality. Sorry about that. I'll make up for it in this chapter. I hope to setup a new arc in this chapter as I think I have the plot planned out for the next few chapters. It's looking pretty good in my mind. Sometimes it helps to have really weird dreams, probably due to the painkillers I'm taking after getting my third molars removed.

I'm designing Tokyo-3 high school as a massive high school that serves the entire Tokyo-3 area, which means that it's the size of a university to accommodate that many classes. As a result, there are a variety of classes such that usually obscure classes would be available.

Thanks to Microsoft Sam for the pre-read.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and am writing this fanfic for pure enjoyment.

* * *

**CHAPTER 7: THE FIRST DAY**

It was Monday. Asuka hated Mondays, it reminded her of how little she accomplished over the weekend and how much torture she was in for. The world seemed to care less of Asuka's opinion as the birds continued to chirp overhead and the sun was just about to break out from the cloud cover.

Asuka walked slowly, stumbling on the occasional crack in the sidewalk and muttering German expletives. Thankfully, most people in Japan didn't know German or they would stare at her in shock of what she had just said. It wasn't long before she arrived just underneath a familiar apartment complex. She looked up at the lettering along the side of the apartment. In blue stencil lettering, it said "Block 5-F." This was the apartment complex where Shinji lived.

Asuka strolled towards the elevator and instinctively pressed the up button without so much as glancing at the control panel. With a ding that she found most annoying, the elevator doors shuttered open. Asuka took a step into the elevator, breathing in the peculiar smell. It smelled old. A little musky. Shrugging it off, Asuka reached up to the panel and hit the appropriate button for the 3rd floor, a button she had pressed many times over the past 7 years.

As the elevator doors opened again, Asuka stepped out and spun around the corner, walking a few steps up to the door of Room 307. Like she did everyday that she came to wake Shinji up, she stared at the cold stencil lettering of G. Ikari's name on the door. Not feeling like debating with herself today, Asuka knocked in her particular way to let Yui know that it was her.

"Coming," could be heard distantly from the apartment as Yui rushed up to the entrance of her apartment.

As if it were a reflex, Asuka smiled as soon as she saw Yui's warm face in front of the door.

"Hi, Asuka. I'm afraid Shinji's still asleep. I haven't been able to wake him up yet. Could you please help out?"

"Certainly, Mrs. Ikari."

Yui smiled a thankful smile and went back to the kitchen. With her departure, Asuka hastened her steps as she approached Shinji's room. Rather than knocking, she just slid open Shinji's door. She was stunned to see that Shinji was already up, but also half-naked as he was desperately trying to speed-dress himself. Instead of announcing her presence, Asuka just stood there with a slight blush on her face. Shinji's head suddenly snapped towards the door as he yanked his backpack from behind his bed. His eyes widened as he saw Asuka there grinning at him.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked curiously.

"Not long." Asuka averted her face from Shinji, trying to prevent his attempts to read her face.

"Well, let's get going, we don't want to be late on the first day."

Together, they walked out of his room and headed for the front door. Shinji abruptly stopped half-way across the kitchen and yelled, "Mom, I'm leaving."

"Okay," yelled Yui, a bit louder than usual to ensure that Shinji heard her.

_Asuka: Such a momma's boy._

With that assurance, Shinji closed the door behind them. As they waited for the elevator to come back up, Asuka glanced at Shinji's apparel. For once, Shinji's uniform was not all wrinkled from being on the floor. Asuka was clearly impressed by Shinji's readiness.

"I'm surprised you were up before I got there. Maybe, you're turning into a real man," jested Asuka, while prodding his arm to see if he gained any muscle, indicative of a manly transformation.

"People change," muttered Shinji. Asuka frowned at that statement, not sure what he was getting at, but didn't want to intrude any further into his pensive mood.

The silence continued as they stepped into the elevator, finally arriving after what seemed like an eternity for Asuka. She didn't like getting the silent treatment from Shinji. Whenever Shinji was quiet like that, it seemed to scream to other people to disturb his silence or at least ask him what's wrong. Shinji's finger went to the button for the ground floor robotically. Asuka just stared at him while he conducted this whole motion. The elevator door closed, sealing Asuka in this pit of darkness for a couple of seconds with Shinji.

_Asuka: What the hell is wrong with him? I need to take a stand…_

The door to the elevator opened as it reached its destination. Shinji stepped out but was surprised to hear that no steps followed him. Puzzled, he turned around and glared at Asuka as if his stare was magnetic enough to draw her out of the elevator. Asuka just gave him a blank stare.

"Why aren't you getting out of the elevator?"

"I'm not stepping out until you tell me what's wrong," said Asuka defiantly putting her hands on her hips before moving them to the door to keep it from automatically closing.

"N-nothing's wrong."

_Asuka: He's doing it again. That self-denial shit._

"Bullshit!" Shinji was surprised at the venom in Asuka's voice. She had been so pleasant all summer. He certainly wasn't used to the old Asuka. Shinji sighed, giving into Asuka's demands.

"I'm just worried that things may change." Accepting his temporary answer, Asuka stepped out of the elevator and pushed Shinji through the front door of the apartment complex. Shinji was about to complain about the pushing when Asuka grabbed his hand and pinned him to the wall.

_Shinji: This is the opposite of what happens in my dream…_

Asuka leaned into him as if she was putting her full weight onto him to get an answer out of him.

"You're going to have to elaborate," said Asuka as she gritted her teeth, trying to muster up more pressure to apply upon Shinji.

Shinji couldn't do anything but blush as he felt Asuka's breasts push up against his chest. He opened his mouth, but the words just wouldn't come out. At that point, Asuka followed his eyes and realized why he was so frozen. Releasing her grip onto Shinji and pulling back, Shinji's face went back to his normal color. Asuka's foot tapped against the ground, expecting Shinji to say something now that he was no longer distracted.

"I just hope… what we have stays the same." Asuka nodded in comprehension of what Shinji said. It was the same fear that she had but unable to vocalize like Shinji had. She was sure that Shinji had heard the same stories as she did. How high school threatened to tear old friendships apart. New allegiances were formed. New grudges made.

"I think I understand what you mean," said Asuka, finally after a moment of silent understanding between the two. Asuka's vocal recognition of what Shinji said put him at ease as the muscles in his body relaxed. Shinji smiled back at Asuka, grateful that she understood him.

As the two continued to walk to school, Asuka was deep in thought as to how she could ensure to Shinji that they weren't going to drift apart. She could only think of one thing and decided to act on it, figuring that it wouldn't be much of a big deal.

As they rounded the next corner, Asuka rubbed her hand against Shinji's. A foreign contact on the skin of Shinji's hand caused him to gasp a little and almost yank his hand away. He glanced over at Asuka, seeing her beaming smile that seemed to reassure him that it was alright. Comforted by the warmth radiating from Asuka's smile, Shinji took the palm of her hand, surprised to find that Asuka had reacted by entwining her fingers around Shinji's. With a smile on both their faces, they continued their walk to school in silence.

* * *

Touji and Kenuske sprinted down the sidewalk, barreling towards their school. They were running late.

"I can't believe you forgot your lunch," yelled Kensuke. His head was turned back, watching Touji desperately trying to shove his enormous lunch into his bag.

"I'd rather not eat than eat cafeteria food. And you know if I don't eat, I can't think," explained Touji. He was pretty sure that he had explained this to Kensuke before, but he couldn't remember in his current state of mind. He was too focused on the consequences if he were late on the first day of school. He really didn't feel like getting his ear pulled on again.

As Touji rounded the corner, he saw Shinji and Asuka walking in the distance. Happy to see his friends, he was about to wave and yell at them before Kensuke yanked Touji back into the corner that they emerged from.

"Dude, what's your problem? That was Shinji and Asuka," said Touji as he looked at Kensuke, expecting an explanation for his peculiar actions. Kensuke pushed his glasses up and peeked around the corner, pointing at their friends.

"Look at their hands. Do you see that?" Touji squinted his eyes, trying to focus his vision on their hands. He saw two hands entwined swinging back and forth as Shinji and Asuka walked, their steps even synchronized. If his jaw could have unhinged itself from the rest of his skull, it probably would have hit the floor.

"H-h-he… traitor…" Touji was only able to manage to squeak out a few words as shock had overtaken him. His best friend besides Kensuke was holding hands with the enemy, the red-headed devil. The same girl that chewed him out every day for being an idiot. While Touji understood that he didn't have the best grades, he just couldn't stand the arrogance and bitchiness that Asuka exuded. And now his best friend has fallen for the Queen Bitch of the Universe herself.

"That's what I thought. Let's follow them to see what they do," said Kensuke as he relinquished his grip on Touji and seemed to prowl forward as if on the look out for enemy fire.

"What? What the hell are you doing?" asked Touji, incredulous that Kensuke would want to follow Shinji and Asuka. The last thing he wanted to see was their affection for each other. The thought of that grossed him out.

"Doing what I do best. Intelligence." Kensuke continued to push forward, leaping from cover to cover as he tried to get a better angle.

Touji hit himself on the forehead. Reluctantly, he followed Kensuke, but not putting as much effort to conceal himself.

* * *

Asuka was surprised to see a short boy with glasses reflected in the mirror of the car that just passed her. Wondering whether it was Kensuke, Asuka suddenly spun around to look behind her. She was able to catch a boy that had army pants on jump into the nearest bush and Touji not far behind him. She grinned.

"What are you looking at, Asuka?" Shinji looked at his companion's face, confused as to why she was grinning.

"We're being followed." Shinji jumped and his eyes widened.

"By who?" whispered Shinji, afraid that someone might be listening to him.

"Why are you whispering, baka?"

"They might hear us," Shinji whispered as his head whipped left and right on the lookout for any suspicious activity.

"You have got to stop hanging around Kensuke. He's making you paranoid. It's Touji and Kensuke that are following us." Asuka lifted her hand that held Shinji's to indicate to him what they were probably interested in.

"Huh?" Shinji was still confused.

"You are so dense sometimes, you know that? We're holding hands, baka-Shinji!" yelled Asuka. Shinji relaxed as he realized the truth. He loosened his grip on Asuka's hand, only for her to tighten it, not wanting to let the warmth go. Shinji gave her a puzzled look, expecting that Asuka would be the one afraid for the public to see that they were holding hands. Why would she want to be seen in public holding hands with a wimp?

"I don't care," replied Asuka guessing his apprehension correctly. Shinji smiled, obviously comforted by Asuka's response.

* * *

"Do you think they saw us?" said Kensuke, riddled with paranoia at being caught. It was like it was a real war and he was a real spy. Touji just shrugged and got out from the bushes. He brushed the dead leaves from his pants and continued onwards, leaving Kensuke still hiding in the bush. Kensuke, seeing that his friend was leaving him behind, leapt out of the bush and ran after him.

As they got closer to the school, they noticed that there was still no change between Shinji and Asuka. They both seemed content to walk in silence just holding hands.

"You know, I wonder what happened in that tent," Kensuke said in his investigative tone, trying to comprehend how Asuka would ever in a million years let Shinji hold her hand. Kensuke and Touji had always known that Shinji had a thing for Asuka. It's probably why Shinji was able to take so much abuse from Asuka yet just shrug it off, walking to school everyday with her. Touji grinned as his imagination ran wild with details.

"Let's run up to them and catch them in the act," said Touji as he started to move as fast as he could without alerting Shinji and Asuka to their presence. Of course, it would be difficult for them to hear footsteps over the busy traffic that had descended upon Tokyo-3 over the summer. The city was bustling after being made the new capital of Japan. It was already difficult for newcomers to find housing despite the numerous residential districts that were recently erected to accommodate the influx of new residents.

After quite a lot of exhausting movements to keep quiet, Kensuke and Touji had caught up with Shinji and Asuka. They both grinned at each as they leapt onto Shinji and Asuka, pushing their weight onto the shoulders of their friends. To Kensuke and Touji's surprise, Shinji and Asuka didn't flinch and just turned around to greet them, while prying the annoying fingers from their shoulders.

"Hey guys, what's up," said Shinji as he turned around to smile at his friends. He was glad to see them, considering the fact that the last time he saw them was at the camping trip where they forced him to sleep with Asuka. Silently, he thanked his friends for doing that, for he secretly enjoyed the sleep next to Asuka despite all the bruises she inflicted on him the morning after.

Kensuke and Touji were surprised that Shinji could be just so calm, especially while holding the devil's hand. Their mouths opened, but they were only able to point at his paired hand and shudder. Before Shinji could speak up to explain, Asuka started to explain instead, "I just wanted to see how long I could squeeze his hand before he would wimp out from the pain."

Shinji cringed as he felt the pressure increase on his hand and looked at Asuka in sorrow. Asuka seemed to have an apologetic look on her face before it turned to a grin and the pressure increased more on his hand, causing him to yelp in pain and break the contact with Asuka's hand. Shinji looked at his hand, wiggling each finger to make sure they were all fully functional.

By now, they had already reached the steps to Tokyo-3 High School, but there were so many steps that led to the entrance of the school as if part of the challenge to enter high school was to make it up the intimidating amount of steps. By the time they reached the top of the stairs, Touji and Kensuke were out of breath while Asuka looked back towards the stair they had just climbed, proud that she was still in shape. To everyone's surprise, Shinji continued to move forward, delving into the nearest building. Not wanting to be left behind, Asuka, Kensuke, and Touji turned towards the direction that Shinji disappeared and sprinted after him.

Suddenly, they ran into the back of Shinji who had stopped in front of rows and rows of empty lockers reserved for freshmen that seemed to stretch for an eternity.

"Why did you stop, Shinji?" inquired Asuka, rubbing her shoulder from impacting Shinji. It seemed that Shinji's back was hard than she thought.

"We have to pick out a locker. It'll be our locker for the rest of high school," said Shinji with a blank face as he stared among the rows of lockers, deciding which one would be suitable for him. A hand wrapped around his wrist and started to drag him to a row of lockers.

"You're coming with me, baka." Asuka gritted her teeth as she realized that dragging Shinji was taking more effort than she expected. She felt her body jerk backwards as Shinji yanked her in the opposite direction. She spun around ready to yell at Shinji when she realized that Touji had grabbed Shinji's other hand and was trying to pull him to a different set of lockers.

Realizing that Touji and Asuka were threatening to pull his limbs apart, Shinji rapidly rotated his arm, freeing himself from the grasp of both Touji and Asuka. Surprised that he was able to extract himself from their grip so easily, Shinji walked up to the nearest locker and started to put his books inside it.

Asuka and Touji looked at their empty hands in shock and quickly ran forward. Asuka grabbed the locker to the right of Shinji, and Touji grabbed the locker to the left of him. Kensuke still stood behind them in shock of what had just happened. He sighed and reluctantly grabbed the locker to the left of Touji, dismayed that he was only a couple of lockers away from the wrath of the red-headed devil.

"Asuka!" A familiar voice sent Asuka spinning around into the arms of Hikari Horaki, the former class rep of their former classroom. After much hugging, Asuka pulled away from the embrace and opened the empty locker next to hers, motioning to Hikari for her to claim the locker next to her friend. Hikari smiled back and proceeded to put her books into the locker.

Asuka stood next to Hikari's locker, listening to everything the excited brunette was telling her. She had missed the company of Hikari, especially after spending much of her summer in the company of Shinji, Touji, and Kensuke. They weren't bad company, but she still missed the presence of another girl, especially Hikari. Asuka noticed that Hikari was repeatedly glancing at Touji as if her eyes were drawn towards him. Hikari tried to hide this by pretending to stare at Asuka, but instead actually staring straight past her at Touji. Asuka smiled inside. Her friend wasn't very subtle. She had known about Hikari's crush on Touji for a long time, and it seemed that after all the hints that Hikari dropped, Touji never developed a clue. All the Stooges were idiots.

As Hikari continued to chatter to Asuka, she noticed that Touji disappeared from behind her. The next thing she knew, someone had bumped into her shoulder. Hikari instinctively turned around to apologize for being in the way when she realized who had bumped into her. He had black hair, dark brown eyes, and wore a black with white stripes tracksuit. Touji Suzuhara. The boy who had captured her heart and had returned her feelings, at least in her dreams.

Asuka, noticing Hikari's departure from reality as her friend continued to gaze upon Touji, grabbed Shinji's arm and pulled him away, leaving Touji and Hikari alone.

"Hey, where are we going?" protested Shinji, not knowing where Asuka was dragging him.

"To homeroom, baka," replied Asuka confidently. Shinji had no idea how Asuka had known where his homeroom was, especially since he hadn't even looked at his own schedule. As they rushed threw the hallway, Shinji fumbled with the folded piece of paper in his hand. Despite the rough walk, Shinji was able to make out the room number for his homeroom and saw the number rapidly approach him.

"We're in the same homeroom. All of us are," explained Asuka, knowing that Shinji was always without a clue.

_Asuka: Typical Stooges…_

Shinji and Asuka burst through the doorway of room 205. Many of their former classmates were shocked to see Shinji and Asuka. They definitely were shocked to see Asuka holding Shinji's wrist. Stares of jealousy emanated from both the boys and the girls in the class. The boys, despite Asuka's mean personality, still found her as the object of their desires. Naturally, they were jealous of Shinji's good fortune. The girls, on the other hand, found that Shinji was one of the kindest and gentlest boys in the class, cute as well. They were confused how someone harsh like Asuka could get someone like Shinji.

Asuka ignored all the stares and plopped Shinji down on a seat towards the back. Shinji tried to protest at her seat choice, but Asuka just glared back at him, instantly silencing Shinji.

"You sit here, Shinji Ikari," yelled Asuka, causing Shinji to jump a little in his seat. Shinji could only nod in fear. "And I'll sit here," said Asuka as she took the seat to the right of Shinji. The rest of the class continued to stare at the couple. Unable to take the attention, Shinji merely put his head down waiting for the start of class so that he could relax. While Asuka usually liked all the attention, she didn't want it right now and began to glare at the rest of the class. Scared of the invisible daggers coming out of Asuka's eyes, the rest of the class turned back towards the front of the classroom.

The warning bell rang. More students poured into the classroom. Many of them Asuka didn't know.

_Asuka: Must be newcomers._

Asuka ignored them and went back to retrieve her laptop out of her backpack. She was well aware of the stares that she was getting from even the new students. Either they were just admiring her stunning beauty or they had heard from former students the kind of person she was, staring at her to take in her every detail so that they can avoid her in the future.

Touji and Kensuke rushed into the class to their seats as they continued their debate about the recent manga that they read. Kensuke chose to sit to the left of Shinji while Touji took the seat in front of Kensuke. At that point, Hikari walked into the class. She smiled at Touji, and after seeing that there was still a seat next to him, she rushed up to the seat to claim it before anyone else could. Setting down her backpack, she walked back up to the front of the classroom to await the arrival of their sensei. Even though it was high school, Hikari was once again made the class rep due to her experience.

Touji and Kensuke stared intensely at the doorway, hoping that their new sensei would be as good-looking as Misato. They could distinctly hear footsteps approaching the doorway, but to their dismay, they were unable to discern whether it was made by hard heels or high heels. As the sensei walked through the doorway, Hikari started her routine.

"Rise. Bow. Sit."

The sensei was an old man. The students could tell based on his clothes that they were long out of style. Meticulously arranging the items on the table, the sensei turned his back to the class as he began to write his name on the board.

"My name is Sensei Fuyutsuki. This is the homeroom for students that have come from class 2-A and 3-A as well as several students new to the Tokyo-3 area. I will begin roll call," said the sensei in the most monotonous voice possible. Roll call began. Each student responded in a dull voice to their own name, obviously not enthusiastic about the return to school. After roll call, Sensei Fuyutsuki began to explain how high school was structured and what was expected out of them. Almost everyone in the class groaned at how much homework the sensei expected each class to give them.

The bell rang, indicating the end of homeroom and the commencement of real classes.

"Hey Shinji, what's your next class?" asked Touji, hoping that perhaps his friend would end up in the same class as him.

"I don't know," muttered Shinji as he fumbled with the piece of paper that he just pulled out of his pocket. The paper was heavily crinkled from being shoved in so many different ways into Shinj's pocket. Shinji glanced down the paper, looking for the name of the class that was supposed to be his first. It had been so long since he signed up for classes, he couldn't even remember what he had registered for. His eyes widened as he read the name of his next class.

"Women's studies? What the hell, Shinji?" asked a puzzled Touji who read out the name of Shinji's class as Shinji read it in his head. Out of nowhere, Asuka's hand grabbed Shinji's arm by the wrist and started to drag him out of the class as he tried to silently protest.

"We're going to be late for our next class." Shinji blinked a bit as he stumbled off, trying to comprehend what Asuka meant by "our next class." He was long gone before Kensuke and Touji were ready to react, ready to save their friend from the clutches of the red-headed devil. In the middle of the hallway, Shinji after much struggling freed himself from Asuka's tight grasp.

"What do you mean our next class?" Asuka looked at Shinji, threw back her head, and laughed. Shinji stopped walking and stared at Asuka until she had stifled her laugh to a few giggles. Asuka looked at Shinji again and realized that he was demanding an answer from her.

"Remember how you gave me your registration to turn in?" Shinji was too lazy to go to the registration box on the day of sign-ups to turn his form in and gave it to Asuka instead so he could join Kensuke and Touji at the arcade.

"Yeah, what about it…" Shinji's voice trailed off when he realized how Asuka was able to change his classes.

"I took the liberty to change some of your classes," said Asuka grinning at Shinji. Shinji, realizing that it was already too late to change anything, put his head down and continued to follow Asuka to their class. As he walked, his fist clenched and unclenched, Shinji's subconscious way of dealing with stress.

Shinji walked into the class, following Asuka, shocked to realize that he was the only guy in the class. The rest of the class were just as shocked to see a guy in the class, thinking that he must have an extraordinary boldness to sign up for a class like women's studies.

_Asuka: Damn, it was probably a bad idea to sign Shinji up for this class. Now, all of them are staring at Shinji._

Asuka felt knots being tied and wringed inside of her stomach. She couldn't explain the feeling well. She tried to reason in her head that she didn't feel anything whatsoever for Shinji romantically. So why? Why would she be feeling like this? Regardless of the feeling, she shot back a venomous glare at the rest of the girls in the class, silently claiming Shinji as hers despite her own confused feelings.

_Asuka: Looks like I just alienated everyone in the class… guess Shinji will have to be my partner._

Asuka took her usual seat in the back. Shinji reluctantly took the seat next to Asuka, unwilling to get into a conflict from the unpredictable red-head. The rest of the class went by quietly with not a word from Asuka or Shinji.

The bell rang again, and Shinji quietly followed Asuka to the next class, placing his faith in Asuka that she would lead him to the right room now that his schedule was exactly the same as hers. It was nice to have the same classes with Asuka so that they could study together. However, Shinji felt betrayed by Asuka. He probably wouldn't have minded the fact that she changed his schedule, but he would have, at least, liked to know about it rather than being shocked with it on the first day of school.

Their next class was calculus. Although Asuka was used to pairs of eyes staring at Shinji and her, she was still shocked to see the eyes of many juniors and seniors, glaring at them in silent contempt. They were all surprised to see mere freshmen in the same class as them and that upset them. The fact that lowly freshmen could even qualify for the same class as them made them feel stupid and underrated. They all averted their eyes from Shinji and Asuka, again alienating them. Feeling the temperature in the room drop, Shinji and Asuka took their seats next to each other. Asuka looked at Shinji with a guilty look, obviously feeling bad that she was forcing Shinji into all of her classes.

Shinji looked to his left, admiring Asuka's figure. Despite all that she put him through, he couldn't rationalize a legitimate reason to be angry at her because every time she did something that annoyed him, she always came back to make him smile. Now he was looking at the red-head next to him giving him a guilty look as if she was pleading to him to forgive her. He smiled back accepting her silent apology and directed his attention to the sensei that just walked into the front of the room.

Without paying much attention, the time passed very quickly. He understood much of what the sensei was saying. It was mostly introductions and discussions of what the curriculum would be like for the semester. Shinji didn't feel like he needed to put his full effort into listening to comprehend it all. Besides, most of what the sensei was saying was already written down on the handout. Shinji hated it when senseis did that. While he did appreciate the fact that the sensei was making it easier on everyone by having what he said written down, Shinji hated having his time wasted like this. He'd rather just take the handout and go outside to enjoy the rest of the beautiful day. By the look of his companion's boredom, he assumed that she would like to do the same as well.

Asuka caught Shinji gazing at her. She slightly blushed, flattered that he would choose to stare at her in his boredom and not the many other girls in the class who were more developed than she was. Trying her best to not disturb the class, Asuka reached into her backpack and pulled out a paper bag, sliding it across the floor that separated their desks.

Shinji heard the shuffling noise of paper and looked down at the leg of his chair. A paper bag was propped up against the leg of the chair. Shinji looked at Asuka with a curious look, not wanting to ask a question out loud without figuring out how well their sensei could hear. Asuka pointed at her laptop, indicating to him that she had sent an explanation over the school network. Shinji leaned into the laptop and squinted, trying to make out the words of Asuka's email over the stray beams of sunlight that had filtered past the blinds. After some careful reading, Shinji finally realized that he even forgot that he forgot to make a lunch in the morning. Smiling thanks, Shinji graciously accepted the lunch as the bell for lunch rang.

Both Shinji and Asuka returned to their respective lockers to store their books before they would depart for lunch. Shinji and Asuka found Kensuke, Touji, and Hikari already gathered around their lockers, apparently all waiting for the couple to come back before they would all depart from lunch.

"Why are you guys waiting around?" asked Asuka, confused because the Stooges never waited for her to eat with them.

"We figured that we should all stick together," said Hikari, already turning to lead Asuka to the rooftop. Shinji and Asuka nodded in agreement and followed the rest of them.

Lunch was rather exciting with each of them sharing their summer, mostly with Hikari, as Shinji, Asuka, Touji, and Kensuke had already spent a considerable amount of their summer traveling all over Japan. Before long, the quality time that they spent catching up to each other came to an end and the bell rang, signaling the start of afternoon classes.

"What do we have next?" asked Shinji as he gathered up the remains of his lunch to throw away before departing to the next class that he and Asuka shared.

"Ugh… PE," said Asuka in a disgusted voice. She hated having to do physical exercise, especially after lunch. Something about exerting physical strength with a stomach full of food was nauseating to her. She really didn't see the point of attending PE anyways. She didn't do anything except eat, shop, and travel all summer yet she was still able to maintain her figure. It wasn't her fault that she just had a naturally beautiful figure. Looking at Shinji, she realized that Shinji probably didn't like the thought of PE after lunch as well, but after examining his build, she figured he needed the exercise much more than she did.

Although they were in the same class, Shinji and Asuka were still separated into classes based on their respective genders. Shinji went to the boys changing room while Asuka departed for the girls changing room.

As Asuka approached the entrance to the changing room, she could hear faint chatter. Despite the low voice, she could still hear them mention her name. Defiantly, she strode into the changing room with a confident gait. In the corner of the changing room, a group of girls were still chattering away, suddenly pausing when they saw Asuka enter the room. What seemed like the leader of the group of girls, Keiko, broke away from the crowd and approached Asuka. As she approached, Asuka sized up her competition. Keiko had a similar figure compared to Asuka even though she was two years older than Asuka. Of course, Keiko lacked the vibrant red hair that Asuka possessed. Asuka smiled inside for her own personal victory over Keiko.

"Hey Soryu. Is it true?" asked Keiko as she sauntered up to Asuka.

"Is what true?" Asuka still had no idea what they were gossiping about.

"Is Ikari yours?" Asuka was surprised for them to reference Shinji as an object. Keiko rephrased the question after seeing Asuka's confusion at her initial question. "I mean, are you and Ikari an item?" Asuka was still getting used to them referring to Shinji with his last name, but she finally understood what they were getting at. They were jealous of the bond between Shinji and her. She snickered inside, glad that she was able to even get upperclassmen to squirm a little bit in her presence.

"No way! Why would I want to go out with a wimp like him?" Asuka said in disgust, her natural reaction towards any question that was directed at her relationship with Shinji.

"Good, then you wouldn't mind if I asked him out." Asuka's eyes widened realizing the purpose of their conversation. There would be no way she could lose to someone as superficial as Keiko. Apparently, Keiko was already satisfied with Asuka's answer and started to turn around, walking back to the crowd to share the news.

"You, stay away from Shinji," snarled Asuka. She felt undignified, behaving like a predator trying to desperately latch onto her prey, but she felt like such uncouth language would be the only thing that Keiko would understand.

"You just said you wouldn't go out with him? Which is it, Soryu?" asked Keiko in a taunting tone. Keiko was obviously doing this to make her first day as uncomfortable as possible. She wanted to break the red-headed devil down.

"He's off-limits," growled Asuka, threatening to pounce on Keiko if she took another step closer to her. Sensing the anxiety, Keiko backed off to join her crowd of friends.

_Asuka: It's gonna be tough getting along with them…_

Asuka quickly changed, ignoring the talk that was still going on around her. She glared at the rest of them, which shut them up momentarily until she stepped outside.

For the rest of class, it was pretty silent. Asuka, with all her charm, was able to convince the PE coach to allow her to just jog for the rest of class. Most of the girls avoided Asuka, knowing her for her devilish reputation. The ones that had the courage to approach quickly shied away as Asuka gave them each a venomous look.

From a distance, she saw Shinji playing with a group of boys in a friendly, competitive game of soccer. It seemed like she was underestimating Shinji. He was definitely in shape and was the leader in the number of goals scored throughout the whole game. Asuka didn't know how long she had been watching Shinji like that, but she realized that the coach was already calling everyone in. The first day of class was over, and she was relieved that despite all the shit she had to go through, she survived to deal with school for another day. Turning back at the other field, she saw Shinji also headed back to the changing room. She thought she would take the time while changing to think of new things to tease him about.

* * *

"Hey, Shinji, wait up!" yelled Asuka as she sprinted after Shinji who had just started down the stairs. Shinji stood at the top of the stairs, one foot already on the next one in his descent, waiting for Asuka to catch up. He turned and smiled, surprised that Asuka was going to walk with him home after Kensuke had left earlier and Touji had disappeared.

"I thought you were going to walk with Hikari," said Shinji, trying to justify why he left without Asuka. Asuka sensed Shinji's despair and smiled, trying to comfort him.

"Hikari left with Touji to go somewhere," said Asuka while smiling, glad that maybe the idiot was able to get a clue somehow.

"Oh," said Shinji, surprised that Touji would go somewhere with Hikari. Perhaps, he was acting on a crush that Shinji always knew he had.

Both Shinji and Asuka began to head towards home in silence, not sure what to say to each other after such a weird first day. Finally, Asuka in her guilt spoke up.

"I'm sorry about changing your classes," Asuka said with a real apologetic tone. Shinji was moved as it was rare for Asuka to be actually apologizing. Almost as rare as a blue moon.

"It's okay. I get to study with you now," said Shinji, putting a positive spin on it. Asuka smiled at Shinji's ability to make everything seem so happy. It was Shinji's way of hiding his annoyance with the world around him. As long as he believed that everything was alright, everything was alright for him.

_Asuka: Typical Shinji…_

They continued in silence until they arrived at the footsteps of a familiar building with the blue stencil lettering that said "Block 5-F." Shinji waved at Asuka and turned towards the entrance to his apartment. Asuka, herself, also had turned away, anxious to get home for an afternoon nap. Halfway to the entrance, Shinji suddenly remembered Asuka's kind act during lunch and turned around to yell at Asuka.

"Hey! Thanks for lunch today." Asuka only nodded with a smile and continued on her way.

_Shinji: What an interesting first day…_

* * *

**End Notes:** Yeah, I know the end was rushed. I think this was my longest chapter yet, so I hope it makes up for the last chapter. This chapter was mainly to set up the next arc so the story should develop smoothly after this chapter. 


	8. The Bully

**Author's Notes:** Thanks for the comments on the last chapter. It's nice to know that the quality of it was good so I'll try to maintain that kind of quality throughout. However, I can't make any guarantees. So basically, I've been racking my brain to come up with new plot ideas and I've come to the conclusion that when I can't write anything else I'll write the conclusion, which I know what will happen despite not having planned it before. In the meanwhile, I already wrote the epilogue. It's wicked, but no hints. Anyways, enjoy!

Congrats to Alex Nagisa for being a really good guesser.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and am writing this fanfic for pure enjoyment.

* * *

**CHAPTER 8: THE BULLY**

"Hey, Shinji, have you started on the calc homework, yet?" asked Asuka as Shinji and she made their way to their lockers to get their books, dodging the growing crowd of people who poured into the hallways also trying to make it to their lockers. It was times like these Asuka wished that she had the power to part the seas of people so that Shinji and she could walk down the hallway without having to weave in and out.

"No, but it's not due until Friday, right?" The question was a rhetorical one as Shinji knew that Asuka kept better track of assignments than he did. Her nod was enough to affirm Shinji's statement.

"Hey, is it my day?" asked Shinji again as he reached into his locker, not sure whether it was his day to bring the textbook or not. Since Asuka and Shinji had shared all their classes and sat next to each other, it made sense that only one of them needed to carry the textbook to class. What was the point of lugging around extra weight? Again, Asuka replied silently with a nod.

_Shinji: Something's wrong with her today…_

Usually, Asuka was talkative in the mornings, hyper from her over-sweetened cereals, but recently, she had become introverted, turned inwards by her thoughts. She was still troubled by the words of Keiko two days ago, wondering whether Keiko was actually serious. Even though Asuka felt that she had no business interfering with Shinji's affairs, she still felt that it was her duty as Shinji's friend to keep him away from girls like Keiko. Girls like her would eat a gentle heart like Shinji's and spit out nothing but the blackened roasted spit of a heart.

"Hey, you seem quiet, today. Anything wrong?" asked a concerned Shinji, worried that a silent Asuka might mean that something was seriously troubling her. A troubled Asuka would be a force to be reckoned with. Not wanting to concern Shinji yet, Asuka just smiled back at Shinji, happy that her baka-Shinji still cared so much for her.

"I'm fine, baka-Shinji. Let's get to class." Asuka tugged Shinji along towards class. He quickly slammed his locker shut just before his hands got out of range.

As Asuka pulled a stumbling Shinji into the classroom, she noticed someone new in the calc class who she didn't see before. Keiko.

_Asuka: What is that bitch doing here?_

Obviously, Keiko had noticed the appearance of Asuka and Shinji. Her face grew to a grin that had even Asuka shuddering inside.

_Asuka: What kind of devious plan is she planning?_

Asuka paused halfway to her desk to glare at Keiko. It was the kind of glare implied for Keiko to watch what she was doing. Shinji had completely ignored what Asuka was doing and proceeded silently to his desk, hoping to catch a few more winks before the sensei came in. Asuka was shocked that Shinji could just so calmly ignore the gazes of the girls in the class. Maybe, he was just clueless at noticing things like that. Whenever Asuka got gazes like that from the boys in her classes, she felt irritated like they were objectifying her and always returned their gazes with venomous glares whenever she caught them doing it.

Asuka almost gasped when she saw Keiko turn away from glaring at her and got up, walking to the boy who sat in the back of the room. The boy who sat next her in all her classes. Asuka intensified her glare as if she was concentrating daggers into the back of Keiko but to no avail.

Shinji was almost about to fall asleep when he felt the weight shift on his desk. He looked up and his eyes got caught into the gaze of a pair of brown eyes draped by straight black hair. She was wearing a slim blue tank top with a very short black skirt. A skirt that was revealing more and more of her legs as she sat down on Shinji's desk.

"Hi, Shinji," said the girl. Shinji blinked but continued to stare at her, confused as to why she was talking to her. Shinji didn't talk to anyone in his calc class except Asuka. He felt that it was his fault for being so advanced in math that it made other people feel inferior, but he didn't mean to do that. It was either that or be placed in a class learning something he already knew. That was something that would have probably driven him insane. The girl smiled at him, attempting to use it like a beam to melt through Shinji's social barriers.

"I'm Keiko." She smiled again as Shinji's face went to one of realization. The name definitely was familiar to Shinji. It was brought up so many times in his lunches with the Stooges. She was by far one of the most popular and beautiful girls at Tokyo-3 High School. In fact, Touji and Kensuke had made a pact that if they had the chance to go out with Keiko, they would do it regardless of whether they had a girlfriend or not. Shinji knew that Kensuke sold dozens of people pictures of her in her swimsuit as she got out of the school swimming pool. But why was she sitting on his desk, talking to him? Him of all people?

"H-h-hi" was all Shinji could stutter out. He was entranced by her beauty. She was definitely comparable to Asuka in his eyes, at least physically. Keiko smiled again, amused by how easy she was able to make Shinji fluster. She reckoned by now Asuka's face would be red with intensifying anger.

"I just transferred to this class." Keiko paused, seeing if she could get any reaction out of the boy. Noticing that Shinji was still frozen there like a statue, she continued. "You seem on top of things." Keiko made a devious grin as she said that. "I was wondering whether you could tutor me today."

"U-um…" Shinji averted his eyes from Keiko, realizing that he had been staring at her long enough for her to think that he was a pervert. He wasn't sure what to say. On one hand, if he didn't do it and Touji and Kensuke found out about this, they would give him shit for months to come. On the other, he felt really strange talking to Keiko as if something was just off about her. Like she was using him for something. Even Shinji recognized the signs of something too good to be true.

Keiko had noticed Shinji's uneasiness with the question and wondered what else she could put on the table to convince Shinji otherwise. She suddenly grinned.

"We could do it at my place," said Keiko while slightly emphasizing "do it." Again, Shinji opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out except short stutters until Asuka interrupted him.

"Sorry, Shinji's helping me with the homework today. Right, Shinji?" Shinji could only nod as Asuka intentionally leaned over his desk, giving him a very revealing view of her assets.

"Okay fine." Keiko sounded distraught at having to lose to Asuka again. "Lemme know if you're free. I could really use the help," said Keiko as she backtracked to her seat, repelled by Asuka's glare. While she wasn't scared of Asuka, she was disappointed that since Asuka butted into their conversation, Shinji had not removed his eyes from Asuka.

Asuka sat down in her seat and sighed at her victory. She could tell that it was going to be a long day. She looked to her right and saw her companion asleep already.

_Asuka: Poor Shinji… he probably had those nightmares about giant robots again. I need to get Kensuke to stop loaning him those kinds of movies._

Asuka thought again about the other kinds of movies that Kensuke possessed.

_Asuka: I should probably get him to stop loaning movies all together._

* * *

Shinji felt himself being nudged to reality. He had only meant to catch a few winks before class, but he had ended up sleeping for the entire lecture. Regardless, he still felt really tired, refusing to open his eyes despite hearing the shuffling of students exiting the room.

"Shinji! Wake up," whispered Asuka into his ear, hoping to wake up Shinji before the rapidly dispersing crowd of students revealed to the sensei that Shinji had slept the entire lecture. Finally, Shinji opened his eyes to see an open book in front of him. He looked to his left at Asuka with a confused look and pointed to the textbook.

"So the sensei doesn't think you're sleeping, baka," said Asuka as she got up, draping one strap of the backpack over her shoulder. She closed Shinji's textbook and started to pack up his backpack, knowing that Shinji was worthless when he just wakes up. Shinji smiled at her, appreciating her efforts to keep him out of trouble.

_Shinji: I'll make it up to her tomorrow._

"Here," said Asuka as she handed Shinji his backpack, motioning him to follow her to lunch.

"Dammit, I can't believe I missed the whole lecture," said Shinji as he shook his head, unable to comprehend why he was so sleepy. He felt Asuka put her hand on his shoulder and patted it as if she was reassuring him of something.

"It's alright. I'll tutor you," giggled Asuka as she turned to look at Shinji. She winked at him and sped up towards their lockers. Shinji looked at the red-head as she disappeared around the corner. Her distinct red hair stood out among the sea of black. He didn't like her because of her beauty, how she was different, or how she treated him. He liked her because she was Asuka Langley Soryu. She was special in his heart. He smiled and picked up his own pace towards the lockers. His hunger was now overwhelming his sleepiness, and he couldn't wait to engulf his lunch.

Shinji got to the locker to see Asuka examining herself in the vanity mirror that she had taped to her locker.

"You know, you're not getting any uglier," joked Shinji as he put in his calc book and retrieved his lunch. It was a bland sack lunch. He had packed it in a hurry in the morning because he didn't want to burden Asuka with it but now his hungry stomach regretted it. He enjoyed Asuka's sandwiches. She made them just the way he liked it, but she would never tell him how, claiming that it was her leverage against him.

While punching him playfully in the shoulder, Asuka briefly looked up from her mirror to say, "Go ahead, I'll catch up." With that gesture, Shinji nodded and headed up the nearest staircase to the rooftop.

Just as Asuka was satisfied with how she looked, she felt a cold hand grab onto her exposed leg. Asuka was wearing short-shorts today, and she regretted it. While they were comfortable when it was so warm outside, she had always felt exposed by them as if every boy in the school was eyeing her. Asuka tried to squirm free of the arm so that she could turn around and face her opponent. The arm was strong, but finally it let go and Asuka whirled around ready to bring hell to whoever just touched her.

Whoever it was that touched her leg, he was big enough to block out the rays of the sun that penetrated the hallway from the window behind him. She shifted to get a better angle, instantly recognizing the face of Yahiko. Yahiko was a year older than Shinji and Asuka but was in the same class as them for being held back. He was also much bigger than most of the people in the school. Physical development started early for Yahiko, and he used it to his advantage, bullying many kids that he was annoyed with. There was one boy that Yahiko loved to torment and that was Shinji.

Before Asuka came along, Yahiko had constantly bugged Shinji whenever Shinji tried to interact with the other boys. He claimed that Shinji was too effeminate and weak so that he should just be a baby and play in the sandbox. Shinji complied. He knew that in the sandbox he could be isolated and free from the torment that Yahiko conducted. It wasn't until Asuka showed up that Shinji was able to stand up to Yahiko. She had convinced him that he needed to save the princess and would have to stand up against the evil monster that was Yahiko in order to so. Shinji did just that, even though it was in his fantasy world, and Yahiko left Shinji alone. Even though Yahiko made fun of Shinji for being defended by a girl, he knew that he couldn't take on someone as spirited as Asuka and a Shinji hell-bent on protecting her.

"Where's Shinji?" asked Yahiko with a grin on his face.

"I thought you would have matured," said Asuka. She had thought that after so many years he would have seen the error of his ways and changed. Guess not.

"Oh, but I have matured. I want a piece of this ass," taunted Yahiko. Asuka shuddered at the thought. She knew that Yahiko was strong enough to force himself upon her, and she probably couldn't even do anything to stop him.

"Leave her alone!" The shout came from a boy standing in front of the staircase. It was Shinji standing there, slightly out of breath having ran from down the staircase after hearing what was going on. His fists were clenched ready to do battle if necessary even if his opponent was Yahiko. Shinji knew that fighting someone like Yahiko would probably hurt him more than it hurt Yahiko, but he didn't care as long as it meant that Asuka wouldn't get hurt.

Yahiko didn't say anything in response to Shinji. He was still shocked at Shinji's sudden outburst of courage. Could that scrawny boy stand up to someone like Yahiko? Yahiko doubted it, but he planned on enjoying pummeling Shinji again. He stepped forward to approach Shinji when Asuka slammed her locker and pushed Shinji into the staircase.

"Let's go! I'm hungry," said Asuka as she dragged Shinji up the stairs. The commotion in the hallway resumed as students realized that a fight was not going to happen. Shinji tried to protest, but Asuka punched him in the shoulder quite hard. He looked at her face, wondering what the hell he did to deserve that.

"I didn't need your help. I'm perfectly capable of defending myself," yelled Asuka in an angry tone but there wasn't much bark behind it. While Asuka wouldn't admit it, she appreciated Shinji showing up when he did. She didn't want to think what might have happened if he didn't.

* * *

PE was finally over, and Asuka was truly glad. It was exhausting to have to continually run around the track, lost in her thoughts. She couldn't even stop to watch Shinji play. His PE class was probably doing some running on the other field that she couldn't see.

Asuka turned and scanned the field again to see if she could catch a glimpse of Shinji after a hard workout, but she only saw her coach furiously waving her hand to call Asuka in. She was last one into the changing room, not that she cared. The changing room was the traditional place to trade gossip, but Asuka didn't want any part of that. All that did was hurt other people or lower their self-esteem. Asuka had already made up her mind about most people so hearing rumors wasn't going to change much of her opinion.

As she was just about done with dressing into her casual clothes, Keiko strolled up to confront Asuka.

"Hey Soryu," said Keiko in a condescending tone. Asuka realized she respected Keiko a bit more for being able to face her time after time.

"What!" barked Asuka, obviously annoyed at Keiko keeping her from heading home early. Keiko brushed the hair out of her eyes and leaned against the locker.

"What's your problem, Soryu? What do you have against me and Shinji?" Keiko was alluding to her failed attempt to get Shinji to tutor her.

"You're wrong for him."

"Why?" Asuka felt like it was a brutally obvious question, but she decided to enlighten Keiko.

"Because you're a bitch. Because you want to use him and cast him aside when you're done." Keiko drew back at the sudden outburst from the red-head. While she knew of Asuka's fiery personality, she didn't expect her to defend a boy that she had frequently taunted and tormented.

"He doesn't deserve that!" added Asuka as the closing to her argument. Asuka was almost in tears by now. She didn't want to be seen like this, especially by Keiko. Keiko would have taken it as a sign of weakness and a victory for her. Angered by her inability to control herself, Asuka slammed the gym locker, causing several girls in the room to jump at the startling sound. She stormed off to her locker so that she could go home, leaving a stunned Keiko.

* * *

Shinji had gotten out of PE early. He had shown a lot of effort today, and the coach noticed, offering to let him out five minutes early. Shinji got to his locker with plenty of time to spare but realized that he would have to wait for Asuka anyways before he could go home. He decided to take this time to rearrange his locker. By his standards, it was messy so he started to sort his books in the order of use so that tomorrow, he would be able to retrieve them without digging through his entire locker. He never understood how Asuka could so easily find her books through all the crap in her locker.

Shinji felt a hand on his shoulder. Apparently, Asuka was out early from PE too.

"Hey Asuka, h-" Shinji stopped mid-sentence as the hand started to squeeze his shoulder harder and harder. Shinji let out a small yelp as it started to hurt. The hand spun him around so that he could face his attacker. Shinji wasn't surprised to see that it was none other than Yahiko.

"Well, if it isn't the wimp. Where's your little girlfriend?" taunted Yahiko. Shinji gulped. He looked at Yahiko. He was a good half a foot taller than him with probably twice the muscle mass. Yahiko had definitely grown a lot since their elementary school days. Either that or he was taking steroids.

"You, leave her alone," yelled Shinji in a show of defiance. Shinji was always surprised when he blurted out things like that. It was like the so-called "spine" that Asuka talked about him lacking just showed up and gets him into a situation like this.

Shinji's confidence obviously upset Yahiko. He wasn't used to his opponents talking back at him. He really enjoyed tormenting those who couldn't really fight back physically and verbally. Yahiko, himself, wasn't really sure why he hated Shinji so much. Maybe it was the fact that his parents were the head of NERV. Maybe it was because Shinji had such a perfect sheltered childhood and he didn't. Maybe it was the fact that girls fawned over him because he was so gentle and innocent. Maybe it was because despite his poor efforts to attract a certain red-headed girl in elementary school, she was always with Shinji. Yahiko shook his head of these thoughts. There was no point in rationalizing it now.

"When I'm done with you, she's next," taunted Yahiko. He laughed demonically. Shinji shuddered as he realized what Yahiko could do. Shinji then did something he never expected himself to do. He spat into Yahiko's face.

_Shinji: Stupid spine…_

Yahiko stood there shocked. In a moment of hatred, he grabbed Shinji by the collar, easily lifting him off the ground and slammed him into the closed locker. Shinji winced as he felt the combination lock smack his back. Yahiko had a look of surprise on his face, surprised at how easily he was able to lift Shinji up. This face turned to a grin when he realized how powerless Shinji was in his clutches. Shinji was still in the air kicking his feet furiously trying to get a lucky kick on Yahiko. From a distance, he almost looked like a cockroach on its back, furiously kicking its legs to right itself.

Suddenly, Shinji felt himself being dropped. He looked up to see a boy with a tracksuit completing the motion of his punch. A punch that sent Yahiko reeling backwards, releasing his grip on Shinji.

"You okay, Shinji?" inquired Touji as he watched Shinji dust himself off and get back up. Yahiko had already taken the time to retreat in the face of defeat, lest he get reported by someone to school officials.

"Yeah, thanks."

"You know I always got your back, man." Touji patted Shinji's back to show his support. In return, Shinji flashed Touji a smile of gratitude.

"Hey Shin- Whoa, what happened to you?" Asuka had just appeared around the corner, hearing Touji and Shinji talking. As Shinji came into visual, Asuka noticed that Shinji's collar was a bit ruffled and his pants still dusty from landing on the floor. Her concern for him took over as she rushed over to Shinji, examining him for any bruises.

"Hey Asuka, I'm fine. Just a scuffle with Yahiko," said Shinji. He said it in a way that seemed a scuffle was a casual thing for him. Asuka ignored him and worked on straightening out his collar.

"Yeah, I backed Shinji up," said Touji as he showed off his biceps and proceeded to throw fake punches into the air.

"I'm sorry, Shinji, it's my fault. You don't need to fight my battles for me." Asuka looked at the floor, unable to look into the eyes of the one that got hurt defending her. She slowly approached Shinji for a hug to comfort him but was surprised that he pushed her away.

"Look, I made a promise seven years ago."

"That was just a silly little promise." Asuka rolled her eyes. She didn't expect Shinji to hold up the promise to always protect the princess. It was seven years ago. It was for a fantasy world. It was only to boost Shinji's confidence.

"No, it's not silly!" yelled Shinji, obviously upset that Asuka treated their promise with such little worth. Asuka wanted to interrupt him, but Shinji continued talking before she could.

_Asuka: Damn, must be learning from me._

"I need to prove myself. I'm worthless if I can't even protect you, Asuka." Shinji was in tears after saying that. He turned towards the entrance of the school and ran away, tormented by the whirl of emotions that he was feeling. Anger. Sorrow. Confusion. He didn't know what to do but to keep running, maybe seek the comfort of his cello.

"You're not worthless," muttered Asuka. She had hoped those words would reach Shinji, but he was already long gone. Asuka was sad to watch Shinji run off like that. She didn't mean to upset him, but sometimes Shinji was just that easy to tip over the edge. She sighed, surrendering herself to her own thoughts after realizing that it was going to be a quiet trip home.

* * *

**End Notes:** The chapter is a bit short, but I just didn't want to repeat stuff about school over and over again. Prepare for angst. 


	9. The Rain

**Author's Notes:** Feed my ego, do more reviews. I'm not going to do the whole "do 5-10 reviews and I'll update a new chapter" bit because I write to unravel a story. Sure, I make this stuff up as I go but it is fun.

Anyways, this chapter is gonna take a while to write. Damn mental blocks. Maybe more inspiration will come through dreams, I don't know. I hope you Rei fans enjoy that I've actually gave Rei a role in this chapter. I'll think about making her part of the cast later.

I know I set a standard for myself the first couple of days when I churned out 7 chapters easily, but these chapters are getting pretty hefty now and I'm finding myself with less free time. It's funny how I originally envisioned this as a dialogue-driven fic, but now it looks more description. No worries, imagery is always fun. It's nice when you can envision the whole scene actually taking place in your head.

Just for this chapter, CAPS are instant messages. I also fail at making up creative usernames.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and am writing this fanfic for pure enjoyment.

* * *

**CHAPTER 9: THE RAIN**

It had been a quiet walk to school. It worried Asuka for it to be this quiet. She hated the silence. She always wanted it to be loud and distracting around her. People gossiping about her and she basking in all the attention. She didn't care. Just as long as there was noise. She enjoyed it to the point that she would purposely put on loud music while she read to drown out the construction noises that filtered into her window at home. She couldn't rationalize why she hated the silence sometimes. Maybe it was to really distract her from her self-destructive thoughts. She had started to feel a warm feeling when she was close to baka-Shinji, but ever since that incident with Yahiko, she missed that feeling more and more as he became more withdrawn from the world.

_Asuka: At least, he's a friend enough to walk with me to school. Or it maybe he's just doing out of sympathy._

Asuka had once told Shinji how much she hated being alone. That's why they walked together to school for so many years. Even though they usually didn't say much during the walk, she felt comforted that Shinji cared. Shinji cared when her mother didn't care. It was the same with Shinji. His parents didn't have the time to drop him off at school either.

Asuka glanced over at her walking companion. He seemed lost in his thoughts. It was the same for the past week. They would walk in the uneasy silence. Whenever she would look at him, he would have his head down, lost completely to another world. She was impressed that he was even able to avoid the traffic and poles.

In an act of boldness, she brushed her hand up against his, the one that dangled so lifelessly. Her hand tingled like the sensation of electricity, but Shinji didn't react. He didn't even blink. He just continued forward in silence. Asuka was frustrated at her inability to cheer up Shinji. Usually when she wanted something, she could always manipulate the situation to her liking. Right now what she wanted more than anything was to see a smile on her childhood friend. Friend? Was that even the right word? Asuka sighed quietly and relinquished herself to being a zombie like Shinji.

* * *

Asuka and Shinji stumbled into their homeroom and instinctively went straight to their seats. As if they were on autopilot, they dropped their backpacks on the floor and slumped into the chair, satisfied to just stare off into space. 

Kensuke and Touji looked at the two that had just walked into the class. To even the casual observer, it looked like they were both lost in deep thought. Kensuke and Touji looked at each other and nodded, knowing what they needed to do.

"Yo, Shinji." Touji waved his hand in front of Shinji's face. Shinji blinked but didn't react. Touji tried shaking Shinji's shoulder, hoping that it would snap Shinji out of his trance. Eventually, Touji was able to succeed but not until shaking Shinji as if he were in a seizure.

"What!" yelled a Shinji obviously annoyed with the intrusion into his private thinking time.

"You're doing that dark brooding thing again. Sure, it's cute for the girls once in a while, but if you do it for a week, it becomes pathetic," explained Touji, feeling that he was well versed in the psychology of girls. Shinji didn't respond, choosing to ignore Touji rather than explain what was bothering him. Touji frowned at his friend, upset that he couldn't even get into the head of his best friend. Annoyed by it all, he figured the only way to get through to Shinji was to say something that was so outrageous that it would irritate him.

"Did you and the demon do it and it sucked?" joked Touji. Shinji didn't respond, but Asuka had overheard the conversation and stood up in fury to respond to the baseless accusation.

"WHAT? I would never do something like that with the dumpkoff over there. Look at him! He looks like a wimp, cowering in the corner. If I were naked, he would be so nervous that he would just run away." Asuka was shocked at the words that came out of her mouth. It was a week of frustration in the making, and the insults poured out of her like an open dam. The rest of the class were equally shocked but for different reasons. Many of the girls in the class had heard about the conflict between Asuka and Keiko, during which Asuka had informed Keiko that Shinji was off-limits. As the shock wore off, the class burst into a commotion as girls argued for their right to ask out Shinji. While Shinji wasn't the handsomest boy at the high school, he was by far the nicest. It didn't help that he had many privileges just by being affiliated with NERV.

It was not surprising that most of the class had not noticed that Sensei Fuyutsuki had walked in, dismayed at the commotion. Hikari had noticed and strolled towards the front of the class to do her routine.

"Rise. Bow. Sit." The start of the morning routine had informed the rest of the class that it was time for class, and the conversations died down immediately.

The sensei made a few announcements and then allowed Hikari to mention a few things that she had heard from the weekly representative meeting that she attended every Sunday.

"To celebrate the start of school, the representative committee has decided to host a dance. The dance will be held on school grounds this coming Saturday starting at 5 PM. I encourage all the new students to Tokyo-3 to attend as it will give you the chance to mingle and meet other students." With that announcement out of the way, Hikari made a few mentions of other upcoming events, flashed a smile to the class, and promptly returned to her seat. Out of the corner of his eye, Shinji could see Touji grinning, knowing that the smile was really meant for him. The sensei thanked Hikari and dismissed the class from homeroom early.

Again, the room burst into a cacophony of sounds. The shuffling of seats as people got up was the main contributor, but the talk amongst everyone was the dance. Who were they going bring? Who were their friends going to bring? What should they wear? While the dance wasn't for just couples, many people felt awkward to just go and stand on the sidelines, hoping to be asked for a dance. They'd rather go with someone comfortable or someone they secretly liked, hoping the prospect of going with them to the dance would give them the courage to express their repressed feelings.

Shinji was getting ready to leave for his locker when a hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back.

_Shinji: Now who could it be?_

Shinji spun around, almost knocking over a familiar girl with short blue hair and peculiar red eyes.

_Shinji: Who is she? She looks familiar... uh... panties. No wait. Oh god, I can't believe that's the first thing I thought of. No wonder Asuka calls me perverted._

"Uh... Ayanami, right?" Shinji said as he put on a fake smile and scratched the back of his head, hoping that it would help his memory.

Rei nodded in acknowledgement and looked up at a confused Shinji. Shinji was much taller than she was, and she was straining her neck just to look up at him.

"Um... so... I was wondering... you see, we didn't get off to a good start. I, sort of, misjudged you. So... uh, are you going to the dance? I was hoping... to you, know," said Rei as she stumbled over the words, unsure of what to say after misappropriately accusing Shinji on her first day of looking at her panties.

"Get to know me better?" said Shinji, completing her sentence. He smiled, excited that Rei would change her opinion about him. Rei nodded, agreeing to Shinji's statement.

"So... would you go to the dance with me?" Shinji glanced at Rei, taking in the sight of Rei and etching it into his memory. Shinji loved to marvel at the beauty of girls but not in a sexual way. He just enjoyed seeing how beautiful the features on some girls could be. While in his opinion, Asuka was the most beautiful girl at Tokyo-3 High, there was something different about Rei. Asuka's beauty fueled desire within Shinji, something he worked to suppress around her so she wouldn't think that he's perverted. Her radiant red hair looked ready to set his heart on fire, while her cool blue eyes seduced him. Rei looked more like an angel. She looked so fragile yet so perfect. Shinji felt like if he could just hug her, some of her perfection would rub off on him.

"Sure. How could I refuse?" Rei smiled again, flattered by Shinji's comment, knowing that he was being truthful and sincere.

"Do you want to walk me to history?" Shinji hadn't realized that she was in his history class. The first few days of class, he was preoccupied with talking to Asuka, something he had been doing a lot since their shared summer. He spent the next week thinking about the incident with Yahiko. Shinji scanned the room for any signs of a red-headed girl. Asuka had already left for her lockers, unwilling to walk to history with a silent Shinji and choosing the company of Hikari instead.

"Sure. Let me just get my books from the locker." Rei nodded and followed him towards the lockers. Along the way, they talked about their shared history class. Shinji joked about how the teacher never remembered where he was in the lecture material and always seemed to fallback to his backup topic whenever he couldn't remember. Rei listened, excited to hear Shinji's opinion of their class. She came to Tokyo-3 so late in the last semester that she was unable to make any real friends. Even so, it was difficult for her to make friends. Many people found her blue hair and red eyes weird and stayed away from her. The few friends that she had weren't in any of her classes and only talked to her during lunch because they didn't have anything better to do. For once, Rei was excited to talk to someone in such a casual and laidback manner. Shinji wasn't disturbed at all by her blue hair and red eyes. It seemed like he didn't even notice and was treating her like she was a... friend?

As Rei and Shinji passed Asuka in the hallway, Rei noticed the surprise on Asuka's face seeing Shinji talk to her and then noticed a glare directed at her. Rei shrugged it off. She knew that Asuka didn't like her from day one, and she didn't expect someone as stubborn as Asuka to change. Rei turned to continue watching Asuka storm off towards their history classroom. She could make out that Asuka's hands were trembling, clutching the history textbook in her hands.

"Hey, so what are your classes?" asked Shinji, hoping to get something more out of Rei than a very attentive listener.

"Uh... what? Oh. Um. Math, Japanese, History, PE, Biology, and... um..." Rei's voice trailed off as she suddenly forgot what her last class was, but soon her face brightened up as she remembered. "Oh yeah and Music Theory."

"Music Theory?" Shinji's face brightened too as he heard that Rei was interested in music. It felt like it was something that he could share and talk about with Rei without sounding too awkward. Rei smiled as she observed Shinji's reaction to her last class. It seemed that her music class was of some interest to Shinji.

"Do you listen to a lot of music? What kind?" Rei gave Shinji her curious face, happy to find something besides school to talk to him about. Shinji shut his locker door rather loudly causing Rei to jump a little. He gave her an apologetic look and motioned for her to follow him to class.

"Well, mostly classical..." Shinji paused, wondering whether he should share his love for playing his cello with Rei. Shinji had never liked playing for audience, except for maybe Asuka. If he told people, he knew that they would push him to play for them, but he wasn't really comfortable with people hearing him pour his heart out when he played his cello. His cello was the way for him to communicate to the world in a different set of tones. It was his heart singing out loud. For some reason as he looked at the angelic figure next to him, he felt that it was okay to tell her about it.

"But that's because I play the cello." Rei was not surprised that Shinji played a musical instrument. It seemed like all the reserved people did it. Maybe they all used it as a channel to empty their emotions.

"Oh? I play the violin." Rei made the motion of her violin to further convey her point. "Maybe we should play a duet sometime," Rei jokingly suggested, but she was really serious. She would love for them to play something together sometime. It seemed only appropriate for people like them to use music to communicate to each other.

They stepped into their history class, still chatting away about their musical interests, when they noticed the invisible daggers shooting out of their sensei's eyes. They were late, and the history teacher wasn't one who tolerated students being late.

"Ayanami. Ikari. You're both late."

"We're sorry, sensei," they both said in unison.

"Just don't do it again. Please sit." It seemed like the sensei had a soft spot for Rei because she was always so attentive and punctual. It didn't seem right to punish her for a one-time thing, and it didn't seem right to punish her companion either or else it would seem unfair.

Shinji and Rei quietly took their seats and prepared for a long lecture on World War II. It seemed the sensei had already forgotten the topic for the day and had already reverted to her backup topic. It was going to be a long class.

Thankfully for Shinji, his laptop was on the school network. Maybe, he could just entertain himself by browsing his favorite sites. Or not. It seemed that there was nothing relevant at the moment that interested him. The only thing on his mind was how Rei might sound with her violin. He imagined how visually and aurally pleasing she would be. He let his eyes wander around the room in boredom and eventually settled on the back of a girl. A back that was barely touched by her wispy light blue hair.

Asuka also sat in the class bored. She had spent most of the class talking to Hikari about various things like what they were going to do over the weekend. Eventually Hikari gave into her excitement, telling Asuka that Touji had asked her to the dance. Hikari and Touji had been in the same classes forever. Well, maybe not forever, but as long as she could remember her and Shinji being in the same class. Ever since they became close friends, Hikari would talk about her dreams of being with Touji some day. It seemed like that day was coming soon.

_Asuka: I wonder if I'll find someone like that for me to be with... Ah... Kaji..._

HEHEKARI: So are you going to the dance?  
RED124: maybe  
HEHEKARI: Why not?  
RED124: noone to go with  
HEHEKARI: Why not ask him?  
RED124: who

Asuka knew fully well who Hikari was talking about. That was probably why Hikari was her friend. She could read Asuka like an open book. Not even him, dumpkoff, could do that.

HEHEKARI: Shinji  
RED124: sure i guess but i was hoping he would ask me first  
HEHEKARI: How would he know that you want to go? You've never liked to go to social gatherings before.  
RED124: i dunno he IS an idiot  
HEHEKARI: Well, you better hurry up, I hear that a lot of people are interested.  
RED124: wait A LOT OF PEOPLE?! interested in that DUMPKOFF!?  
RED124: like who?  
HEHEKARI: Keiko  
RED124: thats obvious ill kick her ass  
HEHEKARI: Mitsuki, Ai, Nanako, Reina, Sakura, Misaki, Chihiro, Hina, Kana, Saki

Asuka couldn't believe that that baka-Shinji had garnered such a huge fan club of girls. Girls who were interested in him. Girls who threatened to steal her baka-Shinji from her.

_Asuka: I'll win. Because I'm Asuka Soryu Langley!_

Asuka grinned when she thought about all the grim situations from which she won in the end. Winning Shinji was just the same.

HEHEKARI: Should I name more?  
RED124: i get it ok? ill ask him afterschool

Asuka had a feeling that everything was going to be alright. She would ask him after school. He would say yes, and they would have a fun time on Saturday like any other Saturday when they hung out. It was easy to say for her because Asuka knew that Shinji had rejected all those girls before, hoping not to get into a Mitsuki situation again. She grinned. Maybe dances weren't so bad after all.

She looked to her left to see what Shinji was up to. She had hoped that he would be in a better mood when he walked into the class talking very excitedly to Rei.

_Asuka: Why was he talking to Ayanami anyways? I thought she hated him._

Shinji seemed to be staring off into space. Asuka just couldn't seem to figure out what the hell was so interesting about the left wall when she realized something.

_Asuka: He's not staring at the wall. He's staring at Ayanami. What the hell is going on?_

Hoping to distract Shinji and maybe figure out whether he was in a better mood, she fired off a quick message to him.

RED124: baka what are you doing

The light beep on Shinji's laptop went off to notify Shinji of a new message. It was quiet enough so that only Shinji and those close enough to him could hear it so he could message without drawing the attention of the teacher. He looked at the corner of his screen to see who it was from. It was Asuka. He just wasn't up to the task to talking to Asuka. What if she wanted to talk about the incident again? Or wonder why he was being like this? No, this was something he needed to deal with by himself. Deciding to ignore Asuka, Shinji closed his laptop and decided to stare at the clock, hoping that he had the ability the turn the clock forward another 6 minutes so that the class would end.

He felt his stomach growl again. He forgot to eat breakfast again, and his stomach was threatening to beat him up for it. He stared at the clock again. It hadn't even moved 15 seconds. Resigning himself to the fate that he just didn't have superpowers, Shinji hid his head behind the history textbook, hoping to enjoy maybe 6 minutes of sleep. He was already drowsy from hearing the droning of his history teacher so it wasn't surprising that he collapsed into his dreamland so easily.

Still chatting to Hikari, Asuka had finally realized that Shinji was taking an awful long time to respond her. She had expected a message from SHINJI within the minute that she sent the message. He was usually a quick responder, just not the best at picking a creative username. She looked to her left and frowned. She hadn't expected Shinji to just close the laptop and sleep. Usually in his depressing moods, he would at least respond with something out of respect, but today, he didn't even bother.

Asuka looked up at the clock and sighed. There was still another 5 minutes until class was over. Until she could get out of the hellhole called history class.

* * *

Asuka trudged towards her locker. It had been a long day especially after the droning history lecture put her in a bad mood. Normally she was excited to go to Physics Lab, but today, she found it even more difficult than usual to work with Shinji. It was like his depression was rubbing off on her. 

_Asuka: If he was even more depressing, it would rain in the classroom._

And then there was Computer Science. She had spent the whole class doing the assignments for the next month. She couldn't see how it was that difficult to grasp the concept of recursion. Yet, the sensei found it necessary to spend the whole week's lectures on it. If there was one thing that she looked forward at the end of the day, it was to see Shinji lighten up at the prospect of going to the dance with her.

_Asuka: Of course, he'd be happy. He's going with the most beautiful girl in all of Tokyo-3._

Asuka rounded the corner that came up to her locker. Shinji was already there placing his books into his locker. His locker that was just right next to hers. She stopped in front of Shinji and looked at him. His face held no expression. No expression at all.

"Shinji?"

"Yeah?" His voice didn't exactly drip of enthusiasm, the way it did when she usually talked to him.

"So I felt it appropriate for you to take me to the dance. So let's go together on Saturday, okay?" Asuka had found it appropriate to get it out in the open so that Shinji wouldn't have to muck around her usual round-about way of talking.

"I can't." Again, coldly.

"Why not? You can't make it to the dance?" Asuka was puzzled. It wasn't often that Shinji rejected the chance to hang out with her, let alone the chance for him to go to the dance with her.

"I'm going with Ayanami." Shinji pulled out an umbrella from his locker. It had just started to pour outside, and he always kept an umbrella in his locker just in case. He always claimed that weather could be very spontaneous so it was good to be prepared.

"Oh." Asuka couldn't bear to look at Shinji anymore. She felt so empty for some reason. And that void seemed to expand, pushing her away from Shinji. She turned away from Shinji and ran off. Shinji felt bad for rejecting Asuka, but he felt he couldn't go back on his acceptance to go with Rei.

_Shinji: She doesn't like these things anyways._

Shinji watched the flair of red hair disappear around the corner, assuming that her running away meant he didn't need to walk her home today. He felt weird about it because it seemed to be the first time that he had walked home alone while it was raining. Asuka, in the past, had always walked home with him when it rained because she never brought an umbrella. It was too clunky she claimed. He turned and headed towards the entrance of the school but stopped at the entrance as he noticed a familiar girl standing in front of the door. It was Rei, and it seemed like she didn't have an umbrella.

"Hey, don't lean so far out, you'll get wet," said Shinji as he moved to shield Rei from the rain.

"Thanks, Ikari."

"Shinji's fine. Do you want me to walk you home?" Shinji asked, motioning at the umbrella in his hand.

"Thanks, Shinji," said Rei as she looked up at Shinji and smiled, acknowledging his generous gesture.

* * *

Asuka felt pain shoot up her shoulder as she collided into an object in the hallway. 

_Asuka: No, wait, it's a person._

It was Hikari.

"Hey Asuka, did you ask him yet?" Hikari never mentioned Shinji by name to Asuka out of respect. Hikari knew that Asuka cherished her reputation, and if people overheard Hikari asking Asuka whether she had asked the boy that she frequently belittled to a social gathering for couples, her reputation as the red-headed demon would be tarnished.

Hikari examined Asuka's face, noticing that she was staring at the entrance to the school. She followed Asuka's example and turned to see her object of interest. It was Shinji, walking out of school while holding an umbrella over Rei. Hikari realized why Asuka had a look of pain on her face. They were silent for a while as they watched Shinji disappear out of view. She then reached out to comfort Asuka when Asuka suddenly burst into a full sprint out of the school, turning only to yell back at Hikari.

"Sorry, Hikari. I'll see you tomorrow." Hikari could do nothing but watch as her hurt friend ran off into the rain. The cold and depressing rain.

Asuka thought that if she ran through the rain, it would metaphorically wash away her sorrow. It only seemed to add to it. She could feel her eyes well up with tears but she couldn't tell whether they were actually flowing as the rain intermingled with the potential tears on her face, threatening to obscure her vision.

* * *

**End Notes:** This was actually going to be a long chapter, but I realized that the next part would be just as long so rather than making a super-sized chapter, I think I'd rather release this angst bit for now. This chapter was originally called "The Dance," but I felt it was inappropriate after the proofread since the dance never actually occurred in this chapter. 


	10. The Cold

**Author's Notes:** It seems only natural that coldness follows the rain. I present the 10th chapter of Happier Days. I still can't believe it has gotten this far in such little time.

For those that care, Shinji and Asuka's schedule at school looks like:

MWF

Women's Studies

Calculus

PE

TuThS

History

Physics

Computer Science

If you're confused about the date, it's Friday, so one day away from the dance on Saturday.

Oh and thanks for the reviews, guys. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. And SxR fans, don't forget that is still an SxA fanfic so don't get too excited about Rei.

Darknemo – Chapter 9 was actually longer than Chapter 8, just to let you know.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and am writing this fanfic for pure enjoyment.

* * *

**CHAPTER 10: THE COLD**

Shinji stirred in his bed. Years of being awakened by Asuka at the same time every day had conditioned his body to become alert around 7 AM. No matter how tired Shinji felt, there was no way for him to fall back asleep. Besides, Asuka would soon arrive to wake him and to tell him "to get his lazy baka ass out of bed."

Shinji rubbed his eyes trying to clear his vision. He looked at his nightstand trying to make out the glowing red numbers on his alarm clock. He should really call it his clock now since the alarm function had long been out of use, rendered obsolete by Asuka. The numbers were a bit blurry. Shinji became a bit worried, believing that his vision was slowly failing him. He was so young though and he didn't want to wear glasses like his father did. Maybe it was all that late night reading under the covers with his flashlight and Kensuke's magazines.

Shinji leaned in closer to his nightstand. The clock read 7:12 AM. Where was Asuka? She was usually prompt at 7:00 AM. Shinji thought that it was odd that she would be late, but he felt that even punctual people had the right to be late once in their life. It's not like he cared whether she was on-time or not. It just meant he had more time in his bed to think.

Shinji pulled the covers off of himself, inadvertently brushing against the other head that was awake that morning. For once, Shinji was glad Asuka wasn't there to slap him for being a baka-hentai. Tucking in his boxers, Shinji went to his closet to retrieve fresh clothes to change into after his shower. He slid the door to his room open, noting that the two familiar pairs of shoes that were usually there in the morning weren't there. His parents probably didn't come home last night, presumably working late again at NERV.

By the time Shinji was done with his shower, it was 7:27 AM. Asuka was still not here. He prepared his lunch, grabbed his bag, and put on his shoes. He was ready to head to school, but Asuka still wasn't here. Realizing that if he waited any longer for Asuka he would be late, Shinji quietly apologized to an imaginary Asuka for leaving without her.

* * *

Shinji walked into homeroom by himself and took his usual seat in the back. He was surprised to find that Asuka's seat was empty. She wasn't at school either. So where was she?

He reflected on his walk to school. It had been peaceful and not tense, which was different from the way it had been for the last week when he and Asuka had been walking to school in awkward silence. To him, it felt weird to walk alone. Even without talking, Asuka always seemed to provide some kind of presence for him. Like someone who cared to walk with him to school every day. That was commitment for someone to do something like that for no reason. Shinji had asked before why it was necessary for Asuka to walk him to school, and he got a mean glare for it. He never bothered because it never really concerned him. He was content allowing her to do it, and she seemed equally content doing it.

It seemed that the rest of the class also took notice that Shinji had walked into class alone. It was definitely unusual as almost every day he was accompanied by Asuka either grabbing his wrist and dragging him into class or pushing him into class. "Had something happened to the two of them?" wondered most of the class.

"Hey, where's red?" asked Touji, referring to Asuka with his other nickname for her.

"Did you guys get into a lover's spat again?" joked Kensuke, reveling in the pleasure of making Shinji uncomfortable about his relationship with Asuka. After all, it seemed only fair since Asuka frequently berated Kensuke, and the only reason Asuka was around was because Shinji let her.

"I don't know. She didn't show up at my house today. It's strange..." Shinji was truly concerned about Asuka. It was definitely something out of the ordinary, and he couldn't figure out why. Had he pissed her off somehow and didn't know it? Shinji admitted that he was probably a poor observer for the feelings of the opposite sex. For those situations, Shinji agreed with Asuka that he was an idiot.

He thought back to the events of the day before, trying to figure out why Asuka might not show up. The only interaction he really could recall yesterday was when Asuka gave him permission to take her to the dance. He didn't really think it was that big of a deal. He was going with Rei because she asked first. Why would it matter to Asuka? It couldn't have been something so insignificant, leaving Shinji stumped.

Dark thoughts ran through Shinji's head as usual when he couldn't rationalize out a reason. Maybe she was hurt on the way to his house. Maybe she was hurt on the way home yesterday. Shinji didn't walk her home so how would he know that she made it home safely. Thoughts like these made Shinji wish he didn't ignore Asuka yesterday. He definitely enjoyed the walk home with Rei. Even though it was raining, they didn't let it dampen their lively discussion about music.

Shinji shook his head, trying to free himself from his dark thoughts. There was no way Asuka could be hurt like that. She was a strong girl, and Tokyo-3 was rapidly becoming the safest modern metropolis. Out of the corner of his eyes, Shinji saw a familiar girl with brown pigtails enter the classroom. It was Hikari.

_Shinji: Maybe she would have some idea where Asuka is._

Shinji was ready to walk over to Hikari's desk to ask her when she turned to face Shinji. She looked Shinji straight in the eyes for a good while to ensure that he understood that the glare that she gave him was indeed meant for him. He almost reeled back from the amount of ferocity behind the glare, something he would have never expected from the class representative. Figuring that it was probably because his collar was messed up, Shinji glanced away from Hikari as quickly as he could and began fixing his collar. It was something he was inexperienced with ever since Asuka had been fixing it for him.

"Rise. Sit. Bow." Sensei Fuyutsuki had entered the classroom ready to start another day with more announcements.

_Shinji: I suppose I'll ask Hikari at lunch._

* * *

The bell rang, signaling the end of calculus. Shinji felt it weird to get up on his own volition and head towards the lockers. It seemed like every day, Asuka would pull him up and drag him by the wrist to go somewhere. Shinji rubbed his wrist, imagining Asuka grabbing his wrist again violently to drag him off to lunch. But there was no Asuka.

Shinji ran into Touji and Kensuke at the lockers. They seemed pretty delighted that lunch was starting. Touji looked forward to lunch because eating time was probably his favorite time during the day. Shinji chuckled in his mind as he imagined Touji being a professional food taster. Kensuke was just as excited because lunch was the chance for him to blabber on about the latest anime that he downloaded.

"Doesn't look like it's going to rain today, so we're on the rooftop, okay Shinji?" said Touji, rubbing his stomach in anticipation of the food that would eventually settle there.

"Gimme a couple of minutes. I need to talk to the class rep."

"About?" Touji was curious as to what his friend would have to do with Hikari. There was a hint of jealousy that spread across his face, but it was not apparent to Shinji.

"Advice on how to deal with the demon?" Kensuke butted in.

"Pretty much. She might know what's going on," Shinji said as he turned to head to the set of trees where Hikari and Asuka would eat when they had stuff to share and wouldn't do it in front of the "stupid Stooges."

Soon, Shinji was closing in on the set of trees. He could see Hikari leaning against one of the trees, slowly taking out her bento box, careful not to spill anything. Even from so far, he could tell it looked good. The one thing that Hikari prided herself upon was her food. She was definitely a good cook from feeding her sisters so many nights when her parents were working late. Workaholics just like Shinji's parents.

As Shinji got closer, Hikari could hear his footsteps and looked up, choosing to stare at him. She was startled as she expected Shinji wasn't bold enough to directly confront her about Asuka.

"Hey class rep," said Shinji as he stopped in front of Hikari and looked down at her, still unwrapping her bento box.

"Hey Ikari," Hikari said coldly.

"Do you know where Asuka is today? She didn't come by the apartment to wake me up."

"What do you mean? You don't know where she is?!" yelled Hikari, clearly upset.

"Hey... why are you so angry?" Shinji put his hand on Hikari's shoulders, trying to sooth her anger. Hikari shook, shrugging off Shinji's hands and looked back into his eyes.

"I don't understand how you can do that to her. I thought you cared," yelled Hikari, surprised at her outburst of emotion. She didn't expect to reveal that to Shinji, but she felt so distressed for her friend the day before and finding out that her friend was missing was worrying her even more. What if Asuka got really depressed and no one came to check on her?

Shinji was taken aback by Hikari's statement. He was thoroughly confused as to what he did to her.

"W-what did I do?"

"The dance! God, sometimes you are just an idiot." Again, Shinji was confused.

_Shinji: What about the dance that was such a big deal?_

"I don't get it. I know she asked me to ask her to go to the dance, but Ayanami had already asked me so I'm going with her."

"But she asked you..." Hikari trailed off, realizing that Shinji didn't really mean intentional harm. If he had said yes to Rei first, it would be rude to change on Rei. It's not like Shinji knew that Asuka secretly harbored feelings for him.

"I thought she hated stuff like that." Shinji felt that he probably wouldn't have minded going with Asuka if Rei hadn't asked him already, but now he was just rationalizing how if he went, Asuka would have hated it anyways.

"But she wanted to go... with you." Shinji gasped, realizing a little bit of what Hikari was getting at. He felt like he didn't grasp all of what Asuka was feeling, but he thought he was beginning to understand. Asuka had always hated whenever the idea of Shinji and her as a couple was brought up. She went out of her way to even name his negative traits that would make him undesirable as a boyfriend. Yet, Asuka wanted to go with Shinji to a dance which would have implied romantic interest.

"To answer your question though, no, I don't know where she is. I only saw her run off into the rain."

"I guess I'll see how she's doing after school."

"C-could you tell her to call me?" pleaded Hikari, hoping that she could get the inside scoop as to why her friend wasn't at school today.

"Sure," said Shinji as he nodded.

* * *

It felt weird to be walking home alone. There were only a few times that he recalled walking home by himself. It usually involved Asuka pushing him over the edge and pissing him off enough to leave without her, but they usually got over it the next day. Shinji wasn't the type of person that could stay mad at Asuka, especially when she does her apologetic look.

He had asked Rei after school whether she would walk with him home, but she said that she intended to spend the afternoon practicing her swimming strokes. She mentioned something about trying out for the school's swim team in the spring semester, and she needed all the practice that she could get.

Shinji stopped. He had finally made it to Asuka's apartment. Even though he wasn't really in the mood to see Asuka, he felt that something was wrong and couldn't resist going up to see her. After all, he did promise Hikari that he would.

Taking the elevator to the 5th floor, Shinji strolled up to the door that led to Asuka's apartment. His finger reached up to the doorbell. He hesitated, not sure what to say if Asuka opened the door and instead, took the time to examine the name plate on the door. "K. Soryu," it said. Shinji's finger depressed the doorbell, ringing twice to indicate that it was him. There was no response. Figuring that something might be wrong, Shinji reached under the welcome mat and flipped it over with ease. On the back, there were several inconspicuous holes. One of the holes contained the spare key in case Asuka got locked out. He only knew because he watched Asuka do the same when she had gotten locked out a few months ago.

After poking at several of the holes, he found one that was harder than usual. Reaching into the hole, he withdrew a brass key. It fit perfectly in the lock of the door, opening the door when Shinji turned the key. Keeping the door open with his foot, he bent down again to replace the key, making sure that he put it back into the right hole before making his way into Asuka's apartment.

Shinji sniffed the air. It smelled of Asuka or rather Asuka's perfume. The smell was comforting. It reminded him of lying in a field of flowers with the sun gently caressing his body. There were times when Shinji got close enough to Asuka to get a good whiff of her perfume, falling into a euphoric state. When that happened, he had to resist himself from hugging her and pushing his face into her hair.

Shinji took a glance at the shoe rack. Even though Asuka possessed a countless number of shoes, Shinji could see that all of them were accounted for, which meant that Asuka was indeed in the apartment. He was surprised that the red-head had not heard the door open.

Shinji followed the smell of Asuka's perfume. It grew stronger and stronger as he approached Asuka's room. As he stopped in front of it, he realized that he couldn't really hear any noises coming from within her room. Why was it so quiet? Had she stopped breathing? His heart quickened as his mind delved into dark thoughts again. To his relief, those thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sound of Asuka turning in her bed. Hoping that Asuka was decent, Shinji slid the door open, preparing himself for a slap if she wasn't.

What he saw he wasn't prepared for. The once lively girl seemed to be pale and shuddered under the blanket. It seemed she was cold despite being wrapped by the blanket like a burrito. She was sick. That's why she probably wasn't able to make it to school. But how did she get sick? It wasn't quite winter yet. That's when it dawned onto Shinji. The day before. The rain. The cold. She didn't have an umbrella.

_Shinji: Oh, Asuka..._

He slowly walked over to the side of her bed, bending down to grasp Asuka's hand. It was cold and sweaty. A look of concern reflexively spread through his face. He was always concerned when it came to Asuka's well-being. His hand reached for Asuka's head, checking to see if she had a fever. She was burning up.

Shinji couldn't help but to feel sorry. Somehow he felt it was his fault that Asuka ran away and then later walked through the rain without her umbrella. He didn't know why she ran away, but he was positive it was something he did. It was always something he did. What bothered him the most was he didn't have the mind to check on her when she didn't show up in the morning to wake him up. He felt that he should have been there all day for her, waiting on her needs and wants.

It seemed Shinji's hand on her forehead disturbed Asuka more than he had thought. She stirred, and her eyes opened. Her eyes, once of fire, seemed dull. This scared Shinji. She looked almost lifeless. Shinji gripped her hands tighter as if he was passing his warmth through her hand. She responded by gripping his hands back. A silence passed between the two as both stared into each other's eyes. Neither of them kept track of time, and it seemed like a millennia passed before them.

"Shinji?" Asuka seemed perplexed, not expecting Shinji to be the one by her bedside, taking care of her.

"I'm here, Asuka," Shinji said to reassure her. It felt right to be by her side, taking care of her. After all, it was the least he could do because it was his fault that she was sick.

"Where were you?" asked Asuka. She was distraught that he had not come earlier. While it annoyed her that he had neglected her, she quickly realized that he didn't know that she was sick until he had showed up.

"I'm sorry..." said Shinji in his classic apologetic voice.

"What are you apologizing for?"

"I wasn't here to take care of you." Shinji tucked some of her red hair behind her ear to expose her eyes. He could see them clearly. They read of confusion and frustration. He frowned, realizing that those emotions were probably directed at him.

"I don't need your help, baka," said Asuka defiantly. She prided herself on being independent so why would she need help from a baka like him. She tried to push him off her bed, but her arms just didn't have the strength to make Shinji budge.

"But Asuka... you're burning up." He felt Asuka's forehead again to comfirm his observation. "And you're shuddering." He rubbed his hands against hers, hoping to warm them up. All Asuka could do was grunt, too tired to make a coherent response. Shinji tried to think of what he could do to make her better and decided on making her some noodle soup. She must have been stuck in bed all day, starving and dehydrated. He slowly got up to head for the kitchen when Asuka's hand grasped his wrist, preventing him from escaping.

"Don't go..." said Asuka weakly.

"I want to make you some soup. You probably haven't had anything to eat or drink," explained Shinji, trying to persuade the stubborn red-head to let go of his hand. He was only trying to help. Asuka shook her head and pointed to her nightstand. There were several water bottles on the desk, all at varying levels of consumption. There were also the remains of a meal, strewn carelessly across the table. Shinji stared at the food and drinks, unable to comprehend how Asuka had the strength to prepare a meal for herself.

Asuka examined Shinji's face, wondering why he had the confused look on his face. However, even in her weakened state, she stood still understood Shinji well.

"Mama came home last night..." Shinji was surprised that Asuka's mother had been home because recently, she hadn't been home much. He silently thanked her mother for taking care of Asuka when he neglected to. Shinji took his seat beside Asuka, clasping her hand again to assure her that he wasn't going anywhere. Not anymore. He couldn't leave her in this state even if it meant not being able to go home, take a shower, and sleep in his own bed. Not now. He needed to take care of Asuka.

"Shinji?" Asuka's weak voice broke the silence again.

"Hai."

"Can you hold me?" Asuka begged. Usually she would use her seductive voice to persuade Shinji, but this voice was different. She was pleading. Her heart called out for Shinji to be there for her. Shinji felt that he couldn't refuse, not when she was using such a genuine voice.

_Shinji: I must protect the princess..._

As cliché as it sounded, Shinji had always envisioned Asuka has his princess and him the knight in shining armor that would come to save her. Now was his time to save her. Shinji lay down on the bed next to Asuka and began to gently embrace her. She was still shivering. His hands slowly encircled around her figure. Asuka gasped as his hands touched her bare skin underneath the thick blanket. As awkward as it was for both of them, they both stayed silent, enjoying each other's warmth. Soon Asuka stopped shivering, and Shinji relaxed, feeling like he had fulfilled his duty.

"Asuka?" he asked quietly. He knew the red-head was asleep from the gentle snoring, but he had hoped that she was awake so he could talk to her. Relinquishing himself to his tiredness, Shinji also found himself dozing, still in a comfortable embrace with Asuka.

* * *

The light of the early morning filtered in through the blinds and struck Shinji's eye. Shinji stirred, trying to roll in bed to avoid the annoying beam of light which inadvertently awakened the sleeping German girl next to him. He found in his frantic motions that he wasn't able to move his left arm. It was pinned under something. His eyes struggled to open but when they finally did, they searched for the cause of his arm's immobility. Instead, he found a mass of red hair in his face. It finally dawned on him where he was as Asuka groaned next to him, upset to be so rudely awakened.

_Shinji: I'm in Asuka's bed... but how did I get under the covers?_

It seemed that overnight Shinji somehow made it under Asuka's blanket and was now sharing an intimate bed with her. Shinji brushed the hair out of the face, relishing the touch of Asuka's soft hair. He turned to his left, noticing that despite a cold and a rough sleep, Asuka still looked as beautiful as ever. He pulled his arm from underneath her, gasping at the pain of imaginary needle pricks as blood rushed back into his hand. This movement caused Asuka to reenact Shinji's frantic motions a few minutes beforehand. With no hand pinned, she was able to move freely and soon found herself on top of Shinji.

Asuka blinked. Her eyes were wide open after rolling on top of a hard object. And now she realized that that hard object had been Shinji.

_Asuka: What is this pervert doing in my bed?_

The events of the previous night flashed back to Asuka. She recalled telling Shinji to not go and to hold her. She remembered waking up in the middle of the night covered in sweat, still embraced by Shinji. She had been grateful that he had stayed the night. It had comforted her that he was just there. Still feeling cold, she had lifted her blanket to let the sleeping boy in so that she could directly absorb his warmth.

Asuka stared into the eyes of a dumbfounded Shinji who could not believe that she was on top of him. He realized that only the thin layer of her nightgown physically separated him and Asuka. He felt himself being sexually aroused, trying desperately to think of other thoughts. He knew it was wrong. He was here to comfort Asuka and make up for his absence, but it was too late.

Asuka felt something slowly press against her thigh. She knew what it was. At first, she wanted to slap the boy as hard as she could for being the pervert she always joked about but never really believed, but she realized that he probably couldn't help himself. She was, after all, stunningly beautiful. She settled on the thought of being satisfied. Satisfied that she could still get a rise out of Shinji. Satisfied that she was still attractive and desired.

For Shinji, terror gripped him. He could tell by the scowl on Asuka's face that she probably felt his manhood being pressed against her thigh. He prepared himself for the worst – preparing for the slap that would have rivaled the atomic bomb.

_Shinji: Anytime now..._

A few minutes had passed even though it seemed like an eternity for him. He was still holding his breath, still expecting a slap from Asuka. He looked at Asuka's face. Her scowl had disappeared, replaced by a look of delight?!

_Shinji: What the hell?!_

Hoping to extricate himself from the awkward situation as fast as possible, Shinji tried to get up from underneath Asuka but found it impossible. She had him perfectly pinned.

"Could you um... get off of me?" The question had shocked and disappointed Asuka. She never expected him to be so blunt about it. At the same time, she felt sad. Sad that Shinji wanted to get away from her.

_Asuka: Am I attractive anymore?_

Asuka felt her rage boil. She was angry that an idiot and pervert like Shinji could reject her. She was, after all, Asuka Langley Soryu. No one was supposed to defy her, let alone a spineless baka like Shinji. She fought the urge to shove him violently off the bed but decided not to. She would not drive him away when he willingly came to her. If she did, there would be no one to take care of her. Instead, Asuka just nodded to Shinji and slowly got up, allowing him to slide out.

There was another awkward silence as they both stood by the bed. Asuka kept glancing at Shinji and looking away as if she was too shy to look or speak to the boy. Shinji just averted his eyes, trying to keep his eyes from wandering to the area where Asuka's nightgown was revealing too much of her chest. It was Shinji who broke the silence.

"So... what do you want for breakfast?" Asuka stood there, pondering for a while. Usually she was really particular about her breakfast, but she felt really relaxed, possibly from her sleep.

"Anything is fine, really." Shinji silently pointed to the bed, motioning for Asuka to get back to resting and recovering from her cold. Asuka giggled, knowing that he was intentionally babying her from the last time she had taken care of him. Shinji flashed a smile and hurried to the kitchen, hoping that he wouldn't take too long to make a breakfast. He didn't know his way around the Soryu kitchen that well, and he honestly didn't know how long it would take for him to get everything together.

Asuka looked at the doorway where Shinji had just disappeared through. She sighed, and for a moment, she wanted to take back all the insults she had ever said about Shinji.

_Asuka: What am I thinking? He's still a baka. My baka._

* * *

**End Notes:** My present to you all, WAFF. I can't help myself sometimes. I tried to keep the sugar coating down as too much is bad for the teeth.

I had originally intended for this chapter to include the dance, but I got carried away and this chapter got longer than I had originally intended. I promise that the next chapter will definitely be about the dance.

I had also intended to write this chapter the day after I published "The Rain" to make up for the fact that I split the chapter, but I spent a bunch of time being uninspired and reading other fanfics. Too bad a lot of them were unfinished which seriously annoyed me. There's nothing worse than enjoying a fanfic only to find it to end at a cliffhanger and the author gone for 3 years. If I ever drop off the face of the Earth, just PM me. Besides, I already have the ending written.

If you want to keep track of my progress, my bio lists the completion rate of what I'm working on so you can see for yourself how far along the next chapter is. I don't update it that often, usually when I need to check something on FF like a new review hint hint. I don't usually do this, but I got bored...

* * *

**OMAKE!**

Asuka sat on top of Shinji, unwilling to get off of him. She found herself really comfortable in this position despite the awkwardness it was causing for him.

"Um... could you get off, please?" Shinji pleaded. Asuka grinned back.

_Shinji: Uh oh..._

"You have to do something, first."

"What?" asked Shinji, fed up with Asuka's games.

"You have to say as loud as you can 'I am the Pumpkin Queen.'" (Props if you know which fanfic this is from)

"WHAT?!" yelled Shinji, incredulous at how ridiculous of a request that was. Fortunately, it was easy so he complied.

At the top of his lungs, Shinji yelled, "I am the Pumpkin Queen!" Asuka covered her ears, not expecting Shinji to be that loud. She had hoped in the future he would be that loud in bed though, hopefully calling out her name.

Several miles away, a clueless blue-haired girl with red eyes heard Shinji's voice.

"What is a pumpkin?" pondered Rei. She shrugged and continued carving an orange melon.


	11. The Warmth

**Author's Notes:** Wow, Chapter 10 got 10 reviews, the most I've ever gotten for a single chapter. How fitting for a hallmark in my fanfic. Anyways, here's Chapter 11, completed ahead of schedule.

I think it's funny how some of you guys try to predict what's going to happen. It's amusing to see some of the stuff you guys come up with, only because I've considered them as well but decided not to use them because it was too predictable. And no, I didn't change it at the last minute to make it unpredictable. I have more planning than that. I think I can squeeze maybe another chapter or two out of this arc, but I need to start thinking of a new plot line.

Congrats to Necrokon for identifying where the "pumpkin queen" reference came from. I'm pretty sure it also appeared in "Shinji the Casanova" also by Strike Fiss. Alex Nagisa, the inspiration for the sickness did come from Angelic Days, considering the similarities in the setting between the manga and my fanfic.

Finally, we reach the chapter that we've all been waiting for since Ch 9: the dance. Oh wait. What the hell is "the Warmth"? Sorry about that. I got carried away again. The dance got pushed back another chapter.

Thanks to Hitori Kennin for the pre-read.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and am writing this fanfic for pure enjoyment.

* * *

**CHAPTER 11: THE WARMTH**

Shinji was in a trance. He was in the middle of the Soryu kitchen, trying to prepare the best breakfast possible for his sickly companion. Two eggs over-and-easy with a side of bacon and some French toast. Shinji smiled, pleased with the meal that he was able to whip up in such short time and with little knowledge of the Soryu kitchen layout. He slid the contents of the pan onto a white plate with red flower patterns. The bacon was still sizzling on the plate. He lifted the plate up and carried it into Asuka's room like a waiter, tucking a napkin folded with a spoon and fork under the plate while holding a cup of orange juice in the other hand.

Asuka was still staring at the door when Shinji appeared, carrying her breakfast. She was shocked to see him back so fast, but her expression quickly changed to delight, when she saw the kind of breakfast he carried. It wasn't half-bad for a 15-year-old boy. Hungrily, she quickly devoured the food and gulped down the juice. As she set her fork down, she looked up to smile at Shinji, sincerely appreciating the efforts he took to make breakfast.

"That was pretty good..." said Asuka, still smiling at Shinji.

Shinji smiled back and said, "Pretty good, eh?"

"Pretty good for a baka," jeered Asuka. Shinji continued to smile despite her comment. He had grown used to the word and would find it out of character for Asuka to not say it. Even though it was an insult, it was her word for him. His pet name.

"How are you feeling?" Shinji placed his hand on Asuka's forehead, checking her temperature. It was still a bit warm but not as bad as the night before.

"Alright..." Asuka looked at the clock on her nightstand. It said 8:50 AM.

"Well, school has started already. I guess you should call in sick."

"And you should get going." Asuka had a disappointed look on face as if she wished Shinji didn't need to go. It seemed Shinji had picked up on this.

"That's okay. I'd like to just stay here. Next to you." Shinji smiled as he said that.

"But what about class?" Asuka did appreciate that Shinji would rather be with her than school. Who wouldn't? But she was worried that he might fall behind. After all, he wasn't a genius like her and wouldn't be able to pick up new material that fast.

"Nah, that's okay. I don't really feel like going."

"But you'll fall behind." Asuka realized that if Shinji didn't go to class, she would be the one who would have to tutor him. She wasn't sure whether that was a good or a bad thing. On one hand, she didn't have the patience to tutor people, but on the other hand, she would get more time to spend with Shinji.

"Well... I'm actually ahead."

"WHAT?!" yelled Asuka, unable to believe that the lazy boy in front of her, who usually had difficulty turning in assignments on time, actually took the time to get ahead in class. Shinji wrestled with his hands for a while, trying to think of the best way to explain to Asuka. Ever since the incident with Yahiko, he had a lot of time on his hands because he wasn't spending them hanging out with Asuka. He couldn't find anything else productive to do with the time, other than getting ahead in class. He looked up at Asuka, realizing that she was still expecting him to answer.

"I had a lot of time to think ever since... you know." Asuka nodded, knowing what Shinji was alluding to.

"Okay. Can you hand me the phone then, so I can call the school?" Asuka pointed at her backpack to indicate the location of her cell phone. However, the idea of making a call reminded Shinji of something he was supposed to tell Asuka.

"Oh, Hikari wants you to call her."

"I'll call her when school is out." Asuka smiled at Shinji, silently thanking him for delivering the message. It was nice to see that her three favorite people in the world, her mother, Shinji, and Hikari cared about her.

Shinji reached into Asuka's red backpack, pulled out her cell phone, and placed it into her open hand. She flipped open the cover of the phone and quickly dialed the number for the school's attendance office. It was a number that she had on speed dial from her many absences from school. Many of her absences were really because it was a beautiful day, and she didn't want to waste it by being cooped up in the classroom listening to some geezer talk about things she already knew. Instead, she usually took it upon herself to fake the call with her mother's voice. This time, she wouldn't need to do that because she had a genuine reason to call, and she was glad because mimicking her mother's voice was a strain on her vocal cords.

"Attendance office, Ibuki speaking." Asuka winced at the pain the phone caused her ear. The secretary at the attendance office was talking much too loudly over the phone. The phone line also made her sweet in-person voice sound very harsh.

"Uh... this is Asuka. Asuka Langley Soryu."

"What can I do for you, Asuka?" Maya Ibuki knew Asuka well enough from the many times that she missed school. She knew that Asuka was faking most of her absences, but the school really didn't care as long as Asuka kept her grades up.

"I'm sick so I can't make it to school today."

"That's fine. We wouldn't want you around school, spreading it to your classmates, now would we?" Maya was pretty sure that Asuka was truthful about her alleged illness. Otherwise, she would have called pretending to be Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu. Asuka was surprised that Maya was taking her absence so well. She wasn't really being questioned by Maya at all like she was when she called as her mother.

_Asuka: I ought to be "sick" more often._

Asuka looked at Shinji to see what he was doing, but he was merely just standing next to the bed staring at her, exactly where he was when he handed her the phone. It looked like he was trying to guess what the other side of the line was saying.

"Yeah, that makes sense."

"Anything else I can do for you?" Asuka looked at Shinji again, remembering his promise to stay by her side for the day to take care of her.

"Just one more thing. Shinji won't be at school either. He's taking care of me." Maya wasn't surprised that Asuka's mother was available to take care of her. She knew that Kyoko Soryu was a busy person. Kyoko didn't even have the time to talk to her when she called her office to discuss Asuka's attendance issues.

"How nice of him. That's fine. It's all taken care of. Get well soon, Asuka." Maya smiled at the thought of what a considerate boy Shinji was, taking care of his friend... or was it girlfriend, now? Maya had always wondered about their relationship. Sometimes, she would catch herself, watching the two interact to her amusement during her lunch break.

"Thanks," said Asuka as she hung up. Shinji had an appreciative look on his face, grateful that Asuka took care of his attendance. He thought he would have to get into a long discussion involving his parents and the attendance lady in order to resolve the issue, but Asuka had taken care of it with such ease and grace.

"So what do you want to do?" asked Shinji as he continued to rub his arm. He had pretended his arm was itchy so it didn't seem like he was focused on her conversation, while she was on the phone

"Well, I don't really feel tired. How about we watch some TV?" Shinji looked at Asuka to see if she was indeed not tired. He saw the fire back in her eyes, and he knew that Asuka was back. It wasn't surprising to him for Asuka to bounce back so fast from a sickness. She was a fighter, the strongest person he knew, and he admired her for that, wishing sometimes that he had that trait.

"But the TV is in the living room. How am I-" Shinji stopped mid-sentence when he noticed that Asuka was nodding at him and staring at his arms. He stared down at his arms, wondering whether there was something on it like a bee or something, but he didn't see anything. He metaphorically oiled the gears in his head, and then he realized why she was nodding. She wanted him to carry her to the living room. Shinji started to shake his head in disagreement, while Asuka continued to nod her head and smile a devious grin.

"Yes, baka-Shinji, you're going to carry me there." Asuka slid out of the covers, ready to be carried out to the living room. She was still wearing the very revealing nightgown that she had slept in. While she did this, Shinji couldn't do anything but stare at her, noting how smooth her legs were. He mentally smacked himself for not noticing before, despite the many times she was physically close to him.

His eyes shifted to the overall figure of Asuka, lying on the bed in such a revealing outfit. His face started to turn red when he realized that his quick glance was turning into a deep stare. She was so beautiful. This was one of the times in which he just wanted to hold her. He knew that he couldn't do that. She would just smack him for being a pervert. Fortunately, he still got a good enough look at her so that it would etch into his memory to be reused in a dream later, where he would be able to touch her.

Yes, he did dream about her. Many times he awoke to Asuka's scowl, surprised because the Asuka in his dream was so nice. How could he not dream about her? She was the closest girl to him, and she was stunning. It would be impossible to not notice the many pleasant features of her. How soft her hand felt when she grabbed his wrist to drag him to classes. How entrancing her eyes when he gazed into them. How soft her hair was when she sometimes fell asleep next to him, while watching their favorite TV shows.

Asuka had noticed the reddening blush on Shinji's face. He looked like he was going to get a nosebleed from just staring at her for so long. She loved the attention that she was getting, but she really wanted to watch TV. She had been so bored the day before, just sitting in her bed with no one to talk to.

"Are you going to just stand there and stare, baka?" said Asuka, finally annoyed enough to speak up. Shinji jumped at the sudden voice, realizing that he was still staring.

"Y-you're going to watch TV, wearing that?!" He pointed at Asuka's nightgown. Asuka followed his finger to realize that he was referring to her revealing outfit.

"I don't see anything wrong with wearing this. I'm in my own home, you know?" Asuka shrugged to illustrate her apathy.

"B-but but but..." Shinji tried to come up with some kind of excuse to convince her to wear something else. He averted his eyes, but his blush deepened as his mind re-imagined what she was wearing. However, in this re-imagining, his mind teased him by slowly removing pieces of the nightgown.

"Fine. If it makes you more comfortable, I'll change. Hand me some clothes from the drawer over there." Asuka pointed at the closed closet, indicating that the drawer were behind the closed door.

Shinji stepped over the clothes that were strewn on the floor, walked up to the closet, and slide the door open. From what he could see, there was a rack of dresses, some that he had seen Asuka wear and some that seemed brand new. Under the rack of dresses was a set of drawers.

"Hey, I've never seen you wear some of these dresses."

"I was hoping to wear them for when Kaji takes me out somewhere after his business trip," explained Asuka as her mind daydreamed for a second what a date with Kaji would be like.

"Oh." Shinji knew Kaji well. Asuka had been infatuated with Kaji ever since she was little, always seeing he as the perfect man that knew how to take care of her. Kaji possessed everything that he lacked, especially confidence, which was why Shinji admired him. Perhaps, that's why Asuka always yelled at him for being a wimp or a coward. Was she trying to mold him into Kaji?

"Besides, there are many things that you haven't seen me wear," Asuka said with a devious grin. Shinji noticed the grin and knew what she was referring to. He hoped he wouldn't discover it in her closet or he would probably nosebleed all over it, not knowing what to do about it.

Shinji opened the first drawer and stumbled backwards as he saw the contents. It was a drawer full of plain white bras. Asuka did nothing but laugh as she watched Shinji's reaction to the sight of the contents.

"Why don't you hand me a bra? I'm not wearing one, right now." Shinji got back up and reached into the drawer. He pinched the edge of the bra, lifted it out of the drawer, and walked over to Asuka.

"You don't have to treat it like hazardous material," said Asuka as she snatched it out of Shinji's hand.

"Sorry..." Shinji turned back to the drawers, hoping that the next one didn't contain a surprise like the first one did.

"The next drawer has t-shirts, and the one below that has shorts." Shinji breathed a sigh of relief to know that he wouldn't be startled by the contents. Hoping to satiate an impatient Asuka, he quickly opened both drawers, pulled out an oversized yellow t-shirt and a pair of comfortable-looking blue shorts, and handed it over to Asuka.

"Are you going to stand there? Get out!" yelled Asuka after realizing that Shinji was just standing there, next to her bed, watching her.

Shinji quickly ran out but before the door closed, he could hear Asuka yell at him.

"Don't you dare come in before I say I'm done!" Shinji leaned against the door to Asuka's room. He could hear the creaking of the bed as Asuka struggled on the bed to dress herself. His imagination ran wild as his mind drew images of Asuka changing. His dream was rudely interrupted with Asuka yelling that she was done and that he could come in. He slid the door open and slowly walked in.

Even though it was just a yellow t-shirt and a pair of blue shorts, Asuka still looked beautiful. As much as Shinji wanted to tell her that, he knew that she would probably take it the wrong way and accuse him of being a pervert for leering at her.

_Shinji: How does she make something so plain look so beautiful?_

"Well, hurry up!"

Shinji ran over to her bedside and ready to slide his hands under her like a fork lift. He hesitated when he suddenly realized where his hands could end up, especially with what Asuka was wearing. Asuka seemed to pick up on his uneasiness.

"If you put your pervert hands somewhere inappropriate, I'll kill you, mutilate your body, and feed you to the crows." Shinji shuddered at the death threat. He expected it, but he felt that Asuka really overdid it on the imagery.

Shinji's left arm slid under her back while the hand latched onto her left side. His right arm slid under her legs. He thought heard her gasp at the touch of his arm brushing against her bare legs, but he shrugged it off as his mind was preoccupied at processing the sensation of her smooth legs.

_Shinji: They're as smooth as they look._

Shinji slowly got up, testing whether his arms were correctly placed to support her weight. He was surprised at how easy it was to lift her, wondering how she could be so light with all the junk food that she consumes. With swiftness, he carried her to the black leather sofa that was arranged in an L-formation in the living room. In front of the sofa sat a small TV. Asuka's mother didn't watch much TV, so she didn't see the need to get a large one to the dismay of Asuka. That was probably why she went to Shinji's apartment so often. His father had set up a nice home theater complete with a 52" HDTV and a 5.1 surround sound system.

"Shinji, do you see the remote?" There wasn't much in the living room to hide a remote, and with a quick glance, Shinji could tell that it wasn't in the living room.

"Hold on, I'll go look for it." Shinji left the living room to search Asuka's room. He had a sneaking suspicion that it was in there. It was a mess, a great place to hide it.

Under a clump of clothes, he saw the remote peeking out. He headed back to the living room, yelling "I found it!" while still in the hallway. From the hallway, he heard the sound of the TV blaring. As he rounded the corner to the living room, he confirmed what he had thought. Somehow Asuka turned on the TV without the remote.

"Uh... how did you turn on the TV?" asked Shinji, truly puzzled at how Asuka did it.

"I got up and turned it on." She pointed at the prominent power button located on the face of the TV.

"You got up to do it?" asked Shinji, seeing how there was no low stick or projectile object for Asuka to use to turn on the TV from where she was sitting.

"Yeah," said Asuka nonchalantly.

"Why did you have me carry you then?" Asuka just shrugged her shoulders.

"I wanted to see whether you had the strength to carry me." Asuka's answer was so plain and simple, but Shinji knew that it was just an excuse that Asuka made up to not seem lazy. If she admitted it, he would have accused her of being a hypocrite for all the times she called him a "lazy baka." Since he did enjoy carrying her, he decided not to make a big issue out of it, and instead, he plopped down on the sofa next to Asuka.

After several hours of mindless entertainment, only interrupted by a short lunch, during which Shinji made noodles, Shinji was startled by the sound of his cell phone going off.

_Shinji: Who could be calling me at this time?_

Shinji glanced at the phone to examine the caller ID. The phone only showed the number, so it couldn't be anyone in his phonebook. Figuring that he wasn't doing anything else interesting, Shinji chose to answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Is this Shinji Ikari?" asked the timid voice on the other end.

"Yeah, who's this?" Shinji felt that the voice was familiar, but he couldn't quite put a name to the voice.

"This is Rei." Shinji mentally hit himself for not recognizing Rei's voice, but he realized he only knew Rei for a few days. He didn't expect himself to recognize her voice that well, especially through the distorting effects of the phone.

"Oh! Hi, Rei." In the background, Shinji swore he could hear Asuka growl. He looked at the red-head sprawled on the sofa, but her eyes were still glued to the screen.

"I was worried because I didn't see you at school. I asked Suzuhara-san and Aida-san, but they didn't know where you were either." Shinji was surprised at the lengths that Rei went to find out where he was, considering the fact that a few days ago, he wouldn't have cared whether Rei knew his name.

"Oh sorry. I was taking care of Asuka."

"Oh. Is she ill?" For some reason, Shinji sensed disappointment from Rei's tone.

"She has the cold, but she's getting better now."

"You're such a nice person, Shinji." Shinji smiled at the compliment. It was nice to get one for a change, after hearing insults from Asuka all day. If he didn't know Asuka was like this before, he would have thought she was unappreciative of his efforts.

"It's nothing. Any friend would have done it. So what's up?"

"I was wondering whether we were still good for the dance." Shinji had almost forgotten about the dance from being so focused on Asuka's well-being. He realized that was probably the reason why Rei had called him.

"Um..." Shinji paused to glance at Asuka. "I'm not sure."

"I'm sorry, I have to go. Will you call me when you're sure?"

"Of course." Shinji nodded as if he were actually talking to Rei in person.

"I'll talk to you later, Shinji."

"Bye." Shinji hit the end call button on the cell phone and pocketed it. He continued to stare at Asuka, wondering if she had fallen asleep on the sofa. Noticing that his call had ended, Asuka turned to look at Shinji, startling him because he didn't expect her head to turn around and face him.

"Was that Rei?" said Asuka with a slight frown on her face.

"Yeah. She was wondering whether I was still going to the dance," explained Shinji.

"You should go. It could be fun." Asuka felt that she had wasted enough of Shinji's day. He should at least have the opportunity to enjoy his Saturday night even if it was with Rei.

"Are you sure? Are you going to be alright? I can stay if you want." A look of concern spread across his face. He didn't want to go without making sure that Asuka was absolutely okay. There would be other dances.

_Shinji: I'm sure Rei would understand._

"I'm fine. See? All better," said Asuka while she got up and spun around, showing off her newfound energy. Shinji chuckled at her surprising display of vivacity.

"If you're okay, why don't you go to the dance?" Shinji felt that if Asuka was feeling better, there wasn't any reason for her to not go if she had wanted to in the first place.

"With you?"

"Sure."

"What about Rei?" The last thing Asuka wanted to be was a third wheel. It would be too awkward even if she was closer to Shinji than Rei was.

"Well, I already agreed to go with her." Shinji knew that if Asuka was to go with him, Rei and she would have to share him. He didn't like the idea of that, but it seemed only fair since both of them asked him. He just hoped that if they did, Asuka and Rei would behave and not fight with each other. The last thing he wanted to happen was a catfight in the middle of the dance.

"That's okay. I think I'm going to watch an old movie and order take-out," Asuka said with a slight frown. She was disappointed, hoping that Shinji would drop Rei for her. She understood that it was rude, but she didn't care if Rei hated her for it. She just really wanted to go to the dance with him and show him how much she appreciated him for taking care of her, despite all her insults that said otherwise.

"Um okay..." Shinji was reluctant to push Asuka again to go to the dance, realizing that maybe taking both Asuka and Rei would be a bad idea. "Well, I should get going then. I need to take a shower and then change."

"Okay... Oh! I need to call Hikari." Asuka pulled out her cell phone, hoping that talking to Hikari would take her mind off of Shinji.

Shinji headed back to Asuka's room, where he had left his backpack. He picked it up and looked around Asuka's room. It looked comfortable even with the mess of clothes on the floor. He headed back into the hallway that would lead him past the living room and to the door. He could already hear Asuka's excited voice.

"You should wear the green one." Shinji imagined that Asuka was probably talking about the dress that Hikari was going to wear to the dance.

_Shinji: I wonder who she's going with._

"Hey, Asuka, I'm leaving. You sure you're going to be okay?" asked Shinji as he stepped into his shoes, reaching down to adjust the heel. Even at the last moment, Shinji was still concerned about Asuka. Asuka looked up, smiled, and waved goodbye to Shinji before returning to her conversation.

Shinji opened the door, stepped out, and carefully closed the door so as to not disturb Asuka's chat with Hikari. He took the elevator to the ground level and turned towards the direction of his apartment. Recalling that he needed to tell Rei his decision, he pulled out his sleek, metallic blue phone. He looked into his list of recently received calls and picked the first one, which should be Rei's number. The phone ran twice before he could hear the timid voice of Rei.

"Hello?"

"Rei?" Shinji asked, still not completely sure he had dialed the right number.

"Hi Shinji."

"I'll be going to the dance. I'll meet you there."

"Okay. I'll see you in an hour."

"Bye." Shinji ended the call and noticed the time on the phone. 4:09 PM. He had less than an hour before the dance to get ready.

_Shinji: This is gonna be close._

* * *

**End Notes:** Wow, this chapter sure had a lot of dialogue. There wasn't as much description along the dialogue as before because it was pretty straightforward. There was also no scene change throughout the whole chapter.

I realized that I couldn't get to the dance without making this a double-length chapter, but I feel that this chapter goes a long way in revealing the characters of Shinji and Asuka.

* * *

**OMAKE!**

Shinji and Asuka sat on the sofa, watching whatever was on the screen of the TV. Both of them were too lazy to change the channel even though the news had come on.

"A local bar got a 400 increase in customers when a local woman offered to flash the customers of the bar every time one of them bought her a drink," the news anchor said with a completely straight face.

"I know I'm going to be there after this," joked his co-anchor as he started to count the bills from his wallet for buying drinks.

"So far, she has gotten 19 drinks with no apparent signs of drunkenness. There's also a betting pool on how many drinks she can handle before she passes out."

The screen turned to a live feed of the bar. The camera zoomed in on the face of the woman at the bar. Shinji's eyes grew wide, and he poked his red-headed companion, who was sprawled on the seat next to him. Asuka lazily turned to face him.

"WHAT?" Shinji pointed at the screen until Asuka turned towards the screen.

"Doesn't that look like Misato-sensei?"


	12. The Dance

**Author's Notes:** 5 reviews for Chapter 11! (insert sad face) That's not very encouraging. Chapter 1 and 2 have been revised with extended descriptions and further grammar checks because it got rejected from EFO.

The reasoning behind the title of the last chapter was because warmth follows the cold. It was a light chapter that involved just some warming conversation between Shinji and Asuka.

I hate it when authors force their music onto their readers so I'm going to omit actual song titles from the dance. It's up to you, the reader, to imagine what song is playing. Perhaps, it'll match what you're listening to while you read.

Thanks to Hitori Kennin for the pre-read. As thanks, he gets a cameo in this chapter. I've had this chapter done for a while so I apologize for not uploading it earlier. I was a little busy watching FLCL, the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and now I'm onto Full Metal Panic.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and am writing this fanfic for pure enjoyment.

* * *

**CHAPTER 12: THE DANCE**

Shinji slid the door to his apartment open to see darkness in front of him. There was no one home as expected. Shinji flicked on the lights and started taking off his shoes. Glancing at the microwave clock, he noted that it was 4:25 already. There wasn't much time to get ready. He quickly shuffled into his room, picking out a pair of black slacks and white shirt to wear to the dance. It wasn't much different from his school uniform, but almost all his clothes looked the same. It was a fact that irritated Asuka very much. She once threatened to not hang out with him because she didn't want to be seen with someone that dressed as poorly as he. Shinji didn't care, but she still hung out with him, probably because their parents were so close.

Shinji shook his head. There wasn't enough time for him to start reminiscing. He gathered up the clothes and took it with him to the shower. After a quick 5-minute shower, Shinji stepped out the bathroom already donning his outfit. He strolled into his parent's bedroom to examine himself in their full-size mirror.

_Shinji: Hmm... I don't look half-bad._

Grabbing his keys, wallet, and cell phone from the kitchen table where he left them, Shinji put on his shoes and headed for school. Along the way, he noticed a familiar person in the distance, but he couldn't quite put a name to him until that person quickly closed in.

"Hey Shin-man," yelled Touji as he slapped Shinji on the back.

"Hey Touji."

"You headed to the dance too?" Touji thought it was peculiar to see Shinji headed to the dance. Being a reserved person, he didn't seem like the kind who would be interested in going to an event like a dance.

"Yeah." Touji looked around and noticed that Shinji wasn't accompanied by his usual red-headed companion.

"Er... where's red?"

"She's not going to the dance." Touji had a shocked look on his face. When he didn't notice Asuka around, he had assumed that Asuka was going to meet Shinji there. He never would have thought that Shinji was going to the dance with someone else other than Asuka.

"Wait... who did you ask out then?" If Shinji didn't ask Asuka to the dance as a friend, Shinji must have asked another girl that he was possibly interested in. Touji ran through the list of girls that were close to Shinji but came up with no one that Shinji would go with besides Asuka and Hikari. And he wouldn't go with Hikari because...

"You first. Who are you with?" asked Shinji.

"Um... Hikari." Shinji was glad that Touji made a move on Hikari. He had once remarked in the presence of Asuka how interesting of a couple Touji and Hikari would have made. Asuka reacted in disgust of her friend going out with a Stooge, but she did let it slip that Hikari had been infatuated with Touji for a long time. Of course after she let that slip, she threatened Shinji under pain of death that he tell no one about that, especially Touji. She didn't want Shinji to prompt Touji to start a relationship with her friend.

"How did that happen?" asked Shinji, curious as to why Touji would ask Hikari. If there was a person more dense than Shinji, it was Touji.

"Well, I caught her glancing at me in class that day when the dance was announced, and so I was like what the hell, she might be interested. When I asked her, she seemed pretty excited," boasted Touji, proud of his charm.

_Shinji: She's been glancing at you like that since the 5__th__ grade._

"So? You gonna spill? Or do I have to beat it out of you," said Touji as he raised his fist in mock attack.

"I'm going with Ayanami." Touji's jaw dropped. He admitted that Rei was definitely cute, but he never would have thought that Shinji would have asked Rei. From what he could gather, Rei hated Shinji since day one.

"How did that happen? Why would you ask her? I thought she hated you." The questions spilled out of Touji as he was really curious as to what Shinji was up to. Everything he knew about his friend had changed the last couple of minutes.

"I don't really know. She just one day came up to me and said 'I misjudged you.'" Shinji shrugged to indicate his confusion about the whole thing.

"Ohhhh. That's why Ayanami was asking about you today." Touji had been puzzled by Rei's approach during lunch. He had no idea why someone who seemingly hated Shinji would care about his whereabouts. With the knowledge that Shinji was going to the dance with Rei, it all made sense.

"Wait a minute. Where were you today? You didn't show up to school," asked Touji, realizing that Shinji didn't tell him why he was absent. It had to be something important. Shinji wasn't the kind of person who would skip school for trivial reasons.

"Asuka got really sick yesterday, and no one was around to take care of her," explained Shinji. Shinji was still concerned about Asuka. He left in a hurry because he was short on time, so he didn't get a chance to notice the façade that Asuka was hiding behind. It seemed that she feigned feeling better in order to push him to go to the dance. It was too late to turn back now though. He had already promised Rei that he would be at the dance.

_Shinji: I'll check on her after the dance._

"Who the hell gets sick during the summer?" laughed Touji, enjoying the fact that his daily tormentor was out of commission for a while. Shinji knew that Asuka had gotten sick from running around in the cold rain, but he couldn't understand why she would do something like that. Feeling like he couldn't explain it to Touji, Shinji chose to shrug and change the topic to something else.

"Hey, is Kensuke going?" Shinji had hoped that Kensuke had gathered up the courage to ask Kana, the girl that he had been infatuated with for the past month. Sometimes, it scared Shinji the lengths to which Kensuke would go to observe girls. Once, Shinji had caught Kensuke in the middle of installing a camera on the window sill that overlooked the interior of the girls changing room. Other times, Kensuke would just stalk the girl of the month until she notices him and drives him away. The next day, he'd be infatuated entirely with another girl.

_Shinji: He's so hopeless..._

"To the dance, you mean?" asked Touji for clarification. They had been talking about the new game center that was opening near Shinji's apartment, but Touji had a suspicion that Shinji was really referring to the dance. Shinji nodded and looked at his friend for an answer.

"Nope."

The two stopped underneath the stairs that led to the school. Shinji glanced at his watch. It was 5:06. They were late, which wasn't surprising since they really took their time in walking as they conversed. Shinji noticed that Touji was sighing in defeat.

"Huh? What's wrong?" asked Shinji.

"Well... if the class rep is anything like she is about class, she'll hate me for being late," explained Touji, cringing as he thought about his ear being pulled.

"Then we better hurry up then." Shinji started running up the stairs, knowing that Rei was also waiting for him. With haste, both he and Touji made it to the gym where the dance was being held in record time. They bent over, panting, trying to catch their breath from the exhausting run. With their heads looking down, they weren't able to notice two people walk up to them.

"Touji, you're late," said one of them. Touji looked up and almost fell backwards at the sight of an upset Hikari. Sensing the tension, Hikari's frown changed to a smile as she grabbed Touji's hand, leading him away to the dance. Touji offered no resistance, just glad that Hikari was not as angry as he expected.

"Hi, Shinji." Shinji looked up to see Rei in a magnificent blue dress, complete with white arm-length gloves and blue high-heels. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of Rei, temporarily banishing any concern for Asuka to the back of his mind. His smile elicited a similar smile from Rei, making her even more beautiful in Shinji's eyes. Rei offered her arm for Shinji to latch on to as they both stepped into the gym.

As Shinji entered the gym, he realized that it was much darker inside the gym than it was outside. In the process of decorating the gym for the dance, they had blocked the skylight on top of the gym, and now the only thing illuminating the gym were the lights strung along the wall. In the middle of the dance floor, a ball coated with mirrors shimmered, reflecting the lights in an entertaining pattern. Shinji had heard of such an object, an archaic throwback to the pre-Second Impact days. He thought it was odd for such an object to be present at their dance.

The student council that Hikari was a part of certainly did a fine job in Shinji's opinion. The walls were lined with different colored streamers, creating a seemingly lively atmosphere. On one side of the room, there was a long table containing an incredible variety of snacks and drinks, an amount of that Asuka would salivate at. On the opposite side of the room, there were doors that led to the changing rooms.

Even though Shinji was late, it seemed that the dance hadn't really started. There wasn't anyone of official capacity to start it so everyone ended up gathering around the snack and drink table, striking up conversation with others. Rei followed the crowd and led Shinji by his arm to the table. Releasing his arm, she reached over the table to get a cup and began to fill it with punch. Shinji felt awkward standing by the table, doing nothing except for staring at Rei. When Rei finished getting her drink, Shinji proceeded to do the same, filling his cup with the red, over-sweetened drink. They stood by the table in silence, unsure what to say to each other as they both sipped their drinks.

"How's your drink?" asked Shinji as he tried to start a conversation with the first thing he could think of. Unfortunately, the first thing he could think of was the drink as he was overwhelmed by the sweetness of the drink. He had grown used to the mildly bitter taste of tea such that drinking something so overly sweetened was absolutely revolting.

_Shinji: Stupid question... I'm drinking it too._

"Erm... alright," answered Rei, puzzled by Shinji's choice of topic. She had imagined that he would start talking more about music as it was the common thread between the two.

"Hey, Shinji!" a voice called out from behind Shinji. Shinji turned to see the source of the voice, finding himself staring at a familiar pair of heterochromatic eyes.

_Shinji: Blue and green eyes. It can only be..._

"Hi, Mitsuki," said Shinji cheerfully as he remembered the name of the person who possessed those strange eyes. It was nice to see her again. He had not seen her around since the night of their date. It seemed like she almost went out of her way to avoid Shinji.

"Are you here with her?" Mitsuki's eye scanned Rei's figure, sizing up her competition.

"Huh? Oh yeah," replied Shinji, realizing that she was referring to Rei, his date to the dance.

"Does that mean you're over Soryu? Why didn't you tell me?" pouted Mitsuki, remembering what she told Shinji before she hung up on him during their breakup call. She assumed that if Shinji decided to forsake a relationship with Asuka, she would be the first that he would call so that they could pick up where they left off. Shinji's eyes widened as he recalled the same phone call, and he started to back away from Mitsuki as his natural reaction to run away from problems kicked in.

"I-It's not like t-that. We're just... friends," explained Shinji. He had stopped backing up when he found the courage to answer Mitsuki. He wasn't lying either. Truthfully, he never thought of Rei in a romantic manner. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a frown form on Rei's face. It seemed that obviously Rei had feelings for Shinji, and she was disappointed to hear that the dance wasn't a real date between them.

"Fine. Whatever," said Mitsuki, believing that Shinji was just making up an excuse so he wouldn't hurt her feelings. She quickly turned away and ran off to a different part of the gym, presumably back to the arms of her date. Before Shinji had the time to react to the event that just transpired, several members of the student council stood up on the makeshift stage to announce the start of the dance.

Rei ignored the announcement being made, feeling that it was unimportant compared to what she was feeling. Instead, she took the time to direct her thoughts inwards. From what she saw from Shinji, she didn't feel like he had any romantic intentions towards her. He treated her like a friend. It was only awkward because they weren't that close yet they were at a dance together. But Rei wanted to be more than friends, which was why hearing Shinji say that they were just friends hurt so much. Deep down, she had hoped that maybe he would change his mind.

Over the past couple of days, Rei took the time to observe Shinji. She knew that Shinji and Asuka were close friends, but for the past week, he was just cold to her. She was surprised that he had ditched school to take care of Asuka. But did that matter? He was here, at the dance, with her, not Asuka. Clenching her fist to illustrate her resolve, Rei decided that she would show Shinji a good time at the dance and worry about his decision later.

The announcement ended, and Shinji couldn't find anything else to turn his attention but Rei. Awkwardly turning to look at her, he was surprised to find her in a pensive state. He couldn't help but stare, taking the beauty that seemed to illuminate the dim room.

"What?" asked Rei, curious to why his eyes were fixed onto her for so long.

"Um... you're just beautiful," explained Shinji. Rei couldn't help but to smile at the compliment. If Shinji was noticing her physical beauty, it was a good thing to furthering her goal.

Music had started to play, and many couples shuffled to the dance floor. There were still many people encircling the snack table, enticed by the variety that they couldn't help but to gorge themselves. Shinji looked at the dance floor and back at Rei.

"Do you want to dance?" asked Shinji as he held out his hand to invite her. Rei merely nodded and grabbed his hand, allowing him to lead her to the edge of the dance floor. As soon they arrived, Shinji let go of Rei's hand, and for a while, they both stood in silence with their arms at their sides, not knowing what to do.

Surprising even himself, Shinji found his hands awkwardly wrapping around Rei's waist, pulling her in a distant embrace. The kind of embrace shared between two people who were unsure of each other, feeling too awkward to embrace closely. Rei was surprised by Shinji's bold move but decided to just settle into the dance, gently swaying side to side as she enjoyed the warmth of Shinji's hands around her waist. The warmth didn't last long as Rei found herself pried from Shinji's grasp and pulled away.

Shinji was confused. He found himself enjoying a calming dance with Rei, but then he felt Rei being yanked away with something else grabbing onto him, almost possessively, and pulling him into a tight embrace. He opened his eyes and found himself staring into a pair of brown eyes that burned with desire.

"Hi, Shinji. How nice of you to dance with me," said Keiko with a grin as she tightly clutched Shinji. Shinji was speechless. He had never had someone throw herself at him so willingly. He glanced to his side, seeing Rei struggling against Yahiko's grip.

"Let her go," yelled Shinji at Yahiko. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist as he tried to summon the strength and courage to break from Keiko's embrace, in order to defend Rei and at the risk of being beaten again by Yahiko. Shinji found his face being forcibly turned by Keiko's hands so he could look into her eyes.

"Forget her. I have so much more to offer," said Keiko as she pointed at her dress. She was wearing a slim white dress that hugged her figure tightly. Shinji's face started to turn red as he realized that her dress was quite revealing, leaving nothing to imagination. He was surprised that they had let her into the dance with wearing something so revealing. In his mind, he was quite disgusted by the show, yet his eyes were drawn by the low cut of the dress, showing off her...

Shinji felt himself forcibly separated from Keiko, breathing a sigh of relief to see that Rei had broken Keiko's death grip on him. He hadn't realized that during the time that he was staring, Rei had broken free from Yahiko and stomped on his feet with her heels. Shinji glanced over to where Yahiko was. Yahiko was still jumping up and down, clutching his foot and howling in pain. He snarled at Rei before he turned away to retreat, realizing that it was useless to retaliate now that the student council had turned their attention to the commotion. Meanwhile, Keiko stared in shock at Rei. She was seething with rage, not expecting the timid girl to show so much resistance. Like Yahiko, Keiko chose to retreat so as to not draw the attention of the student council to her revealing dress.

Rei closed in on Shinji, choosing to embrace him closely after what had just transpired. Shinji blushed red, not used to the closeness that Rei was showing him and also unsure of how to return her affection. Both of them just danced in silence as a slow song started playing. Feeling relaxed by the song, Rei rested her head on Shinji's shoulder.

Shinji let out a quiet gasp as he felt Rei's warm head settle on his shoulder. A torrent of memories rushed into his head. Of the last time that someone had rested their shoulder on his head. It was Asuka on the day that she came back from Germany. They were on the subway heading home. Asuka was exhausted from the jet lag and found herself inextricably drawn to Shinji, choosing to rest her head on his shoulder as she faded into a slumber.

The song had stopped, and Rei lifted her head from Shinji's shoulder. Shinji kept dancing, failing to notice that the song had ended. Rei pulled back to look into Shinji's eyes, noticing that Shinji was lost in another world.

"Hey, are you okay?" asked Rei, concerned by the look in Shinji's eyes. Shinji shook his head, trying to loosen the grip of the memories on his conscious thoughts as he returned to the real world.

"Huh? Yeah..." said Shinji, sad that the temporary lapse into happy memories had ended. When was the last time that he was happy? Was it when he was taking care of Asuka and sharing a nice afternoon with her? The thought of taking care of Asuka led him back to the thought that had plagued him before the dance. Was Asuka feigning being better? What if she was back at the apartment suffering without him?

"What are you thinking about?" asked Rei, noticing that a look of concern had spread over his face.

"Um... just wondering whether Asuka is alright at home."

"I thought she was feeling better." Rei frowned, upset that even after their moment, Shinji was still thinking about Asuka.

"That's what I thought, but I think she was faking it," explained Shinji.

"Why would she do that?" Rei inquired. Why would Asuka fake feeling better?

"I don't know... maybe to make me go to the dance." Shinji's statement implied that he didn't really want to go to the dance with her. It implied that he would rather be at the apartment, taking care of Asuka. It was at that point when Rei realized that she couldn't compete with Asuka. Not with someone who had known Shinji almost her whole life. Rei made up her mind; as much as it saddened her, she would have to let Shinji go.

"Go!" yelled Rei as she broke the embrace between the two.

"W-what?" stammered Shinji, confused as to why Rei was angry with him.

"Go to her," whispered Rei, finally able to contain her anger and sadness.

"Are you sure?" Shinji had wanted to leave ever since the slow song ended, but he couldn't bear to hurt Rei's feelings. And now, Rei was ordering him to go and take care of Asuka.

"Take care of her."

"Okay..." Shinji had turned around to leave when Rei called him.

"Shinji?" Shinji stopped mid-step and rotated his head to listen to Rei.

"I hope we can still be friends." Shinji was her first real friend in Tokyo-3. They had so much in common. She didn't want to lose him, even if he wasn't interested in her romantically. Shinji smiled and nodded to assure Rei that she was still his friend before he ran off. Rei did nothing but watch as Shinji ran away, slipping away from her.

"You're in love with her. You just don't know it yet," remarked Rei to no one. Rei heard the shuffling of steps in front of her and found herself face to face with a boy with blue-green eyes and dark brown hair. She searched her mind for the name of the boy. She had seen him in her classes and knew that he had just recently moved to Tokyo-3.

"Hi! AJ DiStefano. I just moved here from America," said the boy. He seemed eager to meet Rei. Rei smiled back, surprised that the boy had the boldness to approach her. Another song started, and they started to dance together, both content to be just there.

* * *

Shinji had sprinted halfway back to Asuka's apartment when he had to stop to rest. As he stood on the sidewalk panting, he noticed a convenience store across the street from where he stopped. For some reason, Shinji couldn't help but think of the commercial for a popular brand of melon flavored ice cream. The commercial made it look so good. 

_Shinji: Maybe Asuka would like some melon flavored ice cream._

Shinji crossed the street and waltzed through the open door of the convenience store. A musical chime went off, alerting the cashier to the entrance of a new customer. The cashier looked up from the newspaper that he was reading to glance at Shinji, making sure he wasn't a hooligan, before returning his focus back to the newspaper.

In one of the freezers towards the rear of the store, Shinji found what he was looking for. The container art of the ice cream looked as good as it did on the TV commercial. He licked his lips in anticipation of sharing the ice cream with Asuka. Shinji, carrying the most popular item in the store, walked up to the cashier's counter, where the cashier had already ringed up the item. He looked at the price of the ice cream and dug into his pocket, looking for change to pay for it. He coincidentally pulled out the exact change needed to pay for his purchase. Happy that he didn't exert much effort counting his change, Shinji exited the convenience store, speeding up to his sprint towards Asuka's apartment.

Within a few minutes, Shinji arrived at the entrance to Asuka's apartment. Like a routine, he entered the lobby, called for the elevator, selected the 5th floor, and waited for it to bring him to his destination. Not wanting Asuka to exert the energy to open the door for him, Shinji opened the door to her apartment with the spare key underneath the welcome mat.

It was dark, but there were intermittent flashes of light. Shinji turned to look at the source of those flashes, setting the ice cream on the kitchen counter. It was the TV on mute. He walked over the sofa to find Asuka asleep, still clutching her phone. She had her knees pulled up to her chest like she was cold and unable to move, and instead, she just curled up into a fetal position for warmth. Shinji was upset with her for not going to bed, but he was angrier at himself for leaving her in this condition.

He got up and retrieved a blanket from Asuka's room, gently wrapping it around Asuka. He felt her forehead; it was slightly warm. Shinj relaxed a little, knowing that Asuka's cold didn't get any worse while he was gone.

_Shinji: Maybe she was just tired._

After sprinting for so long, Shinji was tired and felt like he deserved a little rest. He plopped on the sofa, a bit rougher than he had intended. The sudden shift in weight on the sofa inadvertently woke up Asuka. She groaned loudly, upset at being woken up from a wonderful dream.

She was dreaming about looking over Tokyo-3, from one of the vantage points on the mountain road. She was lying on the grass with Shinji next to her. In her dream, everything felt alright. It was as if all the pieces of life were in just the right places. To be disturbed and wake up in a dark room was not something she enjoyed until a warm hand reached out and patted her shoulder.

"Shinji?" she called out into the darkness. She didn't know why she called for him. After the confusion from waking up settled, she realized that she had fallen asleep in front of the TV after talking to Hikari. Hikari said she would call her after the dance. Hikari was not one to break promises, so if she didn't call yet that meant that the dance was still going.

"Hai." The response emanated from a soft voice that could only belong to Shinji.

"Is the dance over? Have I been asleep that long?" asked Asuka, confused as to why Shinji was in her apartment.

"No, I just came back to check on you."

"I'm fine! I don't need any help!" yelled Asuka, her natural reaction to any offering of help. She had to be an independent person, after all.

"Sorry... I just felt guilty, leaving you here like this." The lights turned on as Shinji walked over to the wall and flicked the switch. Asuka noticed that while she was sleeping, Shinji had wrapped a blanket around her. Some of her anger left her as she was grateful for Shinji's gesture.

"What happened about Rei? Do you feel guilty for leaving her there?" Shinji froze for a while as he considered Asuka's words. He had never thought of it that way. However, he pushed the guilt to the back of his mind because for a moment, he felt at peace.

Shinji decided to change the subject. "I got you some ice cream," he said as he walked over to the kitchen counter to retrieve the carton of ice cream. Asuka's mood brightened as she saw the flavor of ice cream that he had bought. It was like he could read her mind. It was the exact brand and flavor of ice cream that she had been craving for the past couple of days.

Asuka eagerly received the carton from Shinji's hands. She pried it open hungrily when she realized that she was missing something. Asuka looked into Shinji's eyes. He knew what they were missing and went back to the kitchen to retrieve two clean spoons. Handing one to Asuka, they both started to ferociously consume the ice cream. After just a few minutes of being opened, the ice cream was completely consumed. Both of them patted their stomach, settling into the sofa with a look of euphoria on their faces. Asuka turned to look at Shinji and poked him in the chest.

"Hmm?" Shinji turned his attention towards Asuka, expecting her to say something.

"You know, it's hard to be angry at you sometimes, baka."

"I know."

* * *

**End Notes:** Awww... WAFF. Props if anyone identifies the reference to another Evangelion fanfic that I read. 

Pagewise, this chapter was short, but it still has just as many words as my other chapters which means that this chapter is dense with description. For some reason, this was a hard chapter to write. I had to pause many times because I didn't know how to continue. For taking so long, I present an omake.

* * *

**OMAKE!**

Shinji entered the convenience store ready to buy a carton of ice cream for Asuka. Subliminally, the ice cream called for him, but soon Shinji started recalling commercials for many of other the snacks located in the store. They called at Shinji.

"Shinji! Buy me! Buy me!" they moaned.

Shinji couldn't resist. Showing little control, he started snatching snacks off the shelves. He had to make several trips to the cashier's counter before he could get all of them.

"How are you going to pay for this?" asked the cashier. Shinji grinned and pulled out a NERV credit card. It said Gendo Ikari on it with a picture of Gendo when he was younger. Young enough to look like Shinji.

"Do you want these in bags?" asked the cashier, unsure if he even had enough bags to bag the items that Shinji had bought.

"Do you have a truck?"

In Asuka's apartment, she woke from her slumber to the sound of knocking on the door.

"Now who could be knocking at this hour?" she asked out loud as she glanced at the clock. It said 1:24 AM.

Asuka flung the door open, instantly regretting it as a pile of snacks and drinks flooded into her door. In the process, Shinji became pinned on top of Asuka by the pile of snacks.

"There's enough snacks here to last me a month. Is this for me?" asked Asuka in a very kawaii voice. Shinji couldn't do anything but nod, not wanting to get on the red-head's bad side if he said no. Suddenly, Asuka flung herself onto Shinji, kissing him repeatedly while muttering thanks in between kisses.


	13. The Day Off

**Author's Notes:** FF is acting funny. Every time I try to read something new, it will say something like the story doesn't exist. Or once I checked my fanfic to find that only 8 chapters showed. Maybe their database is finally being overwhelmed by the sheer amount of fanfic out there.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and am writing this fanfic for pure enjoyment.

* * *

**CHAPTER 13: THE DAY OFF**

The sun's rays poked through the half-opened blinds in Shinji's room. The boy started to stir from the brightness that was shining on his eyes. He put his arms on his chest, only to find nothing there. He had expected a red tangled mass of hair, nestled into the crook of his neck. It was a dream. A dream induced by all the times Asuka teased him.

He groaned at that realization, reaching out to grab his alarm clock to get a closer view of the time. 10:00 AM. It was too early to wake up on a Sunday. Way too early. His one day off. He deserved some more shut-eye.

_Shinji: Wait... 10:00! I'm supposed to meet Kensuke and Touji at the Game Center at 10:30._

Shinji leapt up from his bed, grabbed some clothes from the closet, and ran into the shower. As the hot water sprayed into his face, he realized that he had neglected to close the bathroom door. Not much of a problem for a kid who was often home alone.

He was out of the door by 10:15. He had hoped the train was on-time. If it was, he would only be 10 minutes late to the mall, where he had promised to meet his friends. His stomach growled as he sprinted towards the station. He had purposely neglected to eat breakfast, hoping that he would have the chance to eat at the mall instead. Within a minute, Shinji was already aboard the train. He stared out the window, watching familiar places whiz past him. It had become a habit of him to look out of the window when he was alone. It kept his mind occupied when Asuka wasn't there to talk to him.

* * *

Coincidentally at around the same time, a red-head stirred in her bed as well, woken up by the blinds that Shinji had left half-closed the night before. Her hand blindly reached out to her nightstand, knocking the empty bottles of water while her hand continued to probe the nightstand furiously for her cell phone.

She was definitely feeling a lot better. She felt energized. She could feel control of her body returning back to her. She hated being sick. Being sick meant that it was hard for her to be independent. Hard for her to fend for herself. She didn't like relying on others especially baka-Shinji. Even if he did help.

Finally, she found her cell phone, bringing it back under the blanket of warmth in the bed. Now that she was feeling better, she intended to call Hiraki to tell her that she could go out today. Punching the appropriate buttons for speed-dial, Asuka awaited Hiraki's voice as she listened for the rings. One. Two. Three.

_Asuka: C'mon Hikari, pick up already!_

"Hey, Asuka. What's up? Are you feeling better?" asked the sweet voice across the phone as she picked up the phone on the fourth ring.

"Hey. Yeah, I'm feeling better. I guess I can go today." There was a silence for a while. Asuka felt that she could imagine Hikari sweating on the other side of the line, unable to say anything.

"Uh... Hikari?" asked Asuka, hoping to prompt her friend for an answer without sounding too irritated.

"Well... Asuka. I didn't think you weren't going to make it so I invited someone else to join me," said Hikari cautiously. She didn't know what kind of mood the red-head was, especially after recovering from a sickness. Asuka could be angry at being cooped up for so long and take it out on her. It seemed plausible since Asuka frequently took her anger out on the nearest person to her, which was usually Shinji. Since Shinji wasn't present in the room with Asuka or so Hikari thought, Asuka would be more likely to take her anger out on Hikari.

"Oh, that's okay. It's another girl from our class, right?" Again, silence.

"It better not be baka-Shinji!" yelled Asuka.

"No no. It's not Shinji, but-" explained Hikari before being cut off by Asuka.

"Oh, that's fine, then. I need to take a shower now. I'll see you there at 11," Asuka quickly said to Hikari before hanging up. Asuka quickly got out of bed and walked up to her closet, leaning in periodically to examine the state of her clothes and occasionally picking out the odd pieces of lint on them. She stood there for a while pouting, not sure what to wear.

_Asuka: If only baka-Shinji were here to help me pick something out..._

After careful deliberation, Asuka picked out something that she thought that Shinji would probably have picked out as well. She cheerfully grabbed a towel and some clothes and skipped into the shower. There wasn't the usual slam of the bathroom door that isolated Asuka from the rest of the world. It didn't matter. No one was home anyways. The only person who would most likely show up would be Shinji, using the spare key. Asuka really didn't care if he walked in on her. She thought it would be funny to show off her body in front of him and watch the various expressions that his face would form.

* * *

Shinji was late to the Game Center as usual. As he closed in on the building, he could see two familiar figures leaning against the entrance. He waved at them. It was Touji and Kensuke.

"Sorry for being late," said Shinji. He never meant to be late, but somehow, he always was.

"Doing something late at night with red, eh?" Touji nudged Shinji while winking at him.

"W-what? We didn't do anything! Honest," said Shinji.

_Shinji: How did Touji know that I went to Asuka's after the dance?_

The look on Shinji's face wasn't able to mask his shock to the statement, and Touji picked up on this.

"Sure... then where did you go after you left the dance without Rei? She was dancing with someone else afterwards." At this point, Kensuke's jaw dropped. He had spent Saturday watching the new Godzilla movie. He had invited Shinji and Touji, and they both declined and made up an excuse. Now, he knew that their excuses was bogus.

"You both went to the dance?! You could have told me rather than making up some lame-ass excuse," yelled Kensuke, upset that his friends would lie to him. They were breaking his trust in them. Shinji and Touji jumped back from Kensuke. They had both forgotten that they lied to him so that he wouldn't feel left out. Kensuke wasn't exactly the kind of person who attracted many girls, so Shinji and Touji both felt that if they told Kensuke that they had dates to the dance, he would feel bad.

"It's not like that! I just heard it from someone else," explained Touji, hoping to redirect Kensuke's anger towards Shinji.

Kensuke took a while to ponder what Touji said. Touji didn't look too bad, but his personality really turned girls off. On the other hand, many girls in the class had been eyeing Shinji. It was definitely more likely for Shinji to have a date to the dance than Touji, even if Shinji was shy. With that logic, Kensuke turned to face Shinji.

At that point, Shinji realized that Kensuke had accepted Touji's explanation and instead, had directed his ire at him. He looked to his side to see Touji looking the other way, pretending to be not involved.

With a smirk, Shinji pointed at Touji and blurted out, "He went to the dance with Hikari!"

Before Kensuke even had time to determine the validity of Shinji's claim, Touji replied, "You bastard. You ratted me out."

"I shouldn't be the one to take all the blame," said Shinji as he headed for the entrance, hoping that immersing the group into the world of games would take Kensuke's mind off the dance. Touji realized what Shinji was doing and followed him, leaving Kensuke behind. Kensuke stood outside the arcade for a while. On one hand, he could stay outside and think over their very recent conversation, but with no one to yell it, it was no fun. It definitely seemed more pleasing to enjoy his afternoon, playing games with his so-called friends.

* * *

Asuka walked down the stairs from the train station. She flipped open her cell phone to examine her latest text message. It was from Hikari, telling her to meet them at the entrance of the North Tower Mall. Realizing that she was late, Asuka quickly shuffled towards the appropriate direction.

In the distance, Asuka could see two figures standing by the giant copper lettering that spelled out "North Tower Mall." The person standing next to Hikari had blue hair and red eyes...

_Asuka: She invited Ayanami?!_

Asuka strolled up to Hikari to hug her. Despite Shinji's company, she missed being the presence of her friend. Shinji was no substitute for Hikari, but definitely better than nothing. As best she could, Asuka tried to hide her irritation towards the presence of Rei. She had been cooped up for two days, and she wouldn't let the presence of Rei ruin her shopping spree.

* * *

"Oh, take that! Haha, can't touch me. And he shoots and scores." Shinji stirred from his daydream to see Kensuke drop to his knees, excited that for once, he beat Touji in their favorite game.

"I just let you win because I felt bad for you," retorted Touji.

"Felt bad for what?" questioned Kensuke with a puzzling look on his face. He had clearly forgotten about his irritation that occurred in front of the arcade.

"Never mind." Touji really didn't feel like getting into another argument with Kensuke. It was too late as Kensuke realized what Touji was referring to.

"Well, I still haven't forgiven you. Let's go again," said Kensuke as he pointed at the arcade machine in front of him.

"I don't really want to... Shinji, how about you?" Touji shook Shinji's shoulder to bring him out of his daydream.

"Huh?"

"What's up with you? You've been out of it all day. We came to play, and you just stand there staring at nothing," asked Touji.

"Probably thinking about Ayanami," Kensuke joked.

"Why don't you tell us about what happened?" Touji knew he was being nosy, but he couldn't help being concerned for his friend. The only way to do that would be to know what happened.

"Well, we just danced. That's it."

"That's it?!" exclaimed Kensuke, disappointed at the lack of detail from Shinji.

"So why did you leave the dance without Ayanami?"

"I was concerned about Asuka, so she told me to just go." Shinji shrugged, figuring it was no big deal until a hand struck him in the back of the head. He turned around to face the source of the attack and was surprised to see it was Kensuke instead of Touji.

"You, idiot! If I had to pick between a goddess with angelic blue hair and a red-headed devil, I'd pick the goddess," yelled Kensuke. It took Shinji a while to realize that the goddess that Kensuke was referring to was Rei.

"But she was sick!"

"So? Why should you take care of someone who insults you all day?" Shinji hadn't seen Kensuke so genuinely angry in quite a while. His friend was usually timid, but after all the abuse that he had taken from Asuka, it wasn't surprising that Kensuke would be so harsh about her.

"She's still my friend. And she isn't always like that. Sometimes, she can be nice," mumbled Shinji.

"You like her, don't you?" Touji had considered the possibility before. Asuka and Shinji, even though they were childhood friends, never got along as well as they did the past couple of months. He couldn't believe it when Shinji didn't show up to class, because he was taking care of Asuka. Asuka was a strong girl. Did she really need Shinji to take care of her? Or did Shinji want to be there for her?

"I don't know," said Shinji as he looked at his feet. It was better than staring at the irritated face that Kensuke was making. Shinji felt his shoulder being patted and looked up.

"It's fine. It's not like what Kensuke's opinion can change how you feel," explained Touji. Kensuke held a look of shock as the truth of Touji's word sank in.

"I still think Ayanami is cuter," rebutted Kensuke. A loud growl emanated from Touji's stomach.

"Oh, I guess it is lunchtime," laughed Touji as he headed out of the arcade with Shinji and Kensuke following.

* * *

Asuka dumped another pile of clothes that she didn't like into a bin. She sighed. They had been through two stores, and she didn't find anything that she liked. Hikari didn't find much either, but it seemed that everything that Rei tried on looked stunningly good on her. Without knowing it, Asuka clenched her fist in irritation as she watched Rei pick out more clothes. Noticing Asuka's temperament, Rei turned to look at Asuka and started to approach her.

"What?" said Asuka coldly.

"I'd like to know what has caused such animosity between us," asked Rei with an innocent look on her face.

"Nothing. What makes you think that I don't like you?"

"You didn't even acknowledge my presence when we met this morning," explained Rei.

"So? It's not like we're friends, anyways." Asuka crossed her arms in defiance.

"Even so. You could have waved or something. You just completely ignored me." Asuka didn't bother replying. What was the point? She didn't want to talk to Rei, and the best thing for her to do was to walk away.

Asuka was in mid-step when Rei asked, "Are you jealous?"

"What?! Jealous of what? How you look good on everything you wear?" yelled Asuka angrily as she turned around to face her opponent.

"Me and Shinji," said Rei timidly, afraid to upset Asuka too much. Maybe just enough to reveal something.

"Why would I care what that baka does with his free time?"

"Did he show up last night?" asked Rei. She had wondered whether Shinji listened to her. If he didn't, what she did was all in vain.

"Huh?" questioned Asuka with a confused look on her face.

"I want to know if he came back to you after the dance. I told him to do that after all."

"He did, but why would you do something like that? I don't need your pity!" exclaimed Asuka.

"Because he's in love with someone else, but he doesn't know it yet." The knot in Asuka's stomach tightened.

"That sounds like the clueless idiot." Asuka couldn't find anything more to say. She didn't want to ask who it was that Shinji was in love with, but that was prying into too much.

_Asuka: But what is she getting at? He came back after the dance. For me? Does he like me? But why? I'm so mean to him, he can't possibly like me. So who else?_

Conflicting thoughts clashed inside Asuka's head as she tried to sort out her feelings and guess Shinji's feelings.

"Do you mean all the mean things you say about him?" asked Rei, interrupting Asuka's thought process.

"N-no. Of course not. I'm just making fun of him after all." Asuka's shook her head to illustrate her point.

"When you think of him, what do you think of him as?"

"I think... Shinji, I think of him... as more than a friend," said Asuka with her bent down and a slight blush spreading across her face. Although Asuka couldn't see Rei, she could tell that Rei was nodding.

"Good, then I will help you." Asuka looked up at Rei in shock.

"Help you with what?" interrupted Hikari, hugging Asuka from behind.

"I agreed to help Soryu find an outfit that suited her," explained Rei, hoping that Hikari hadn't caught the earlier parts of the conversation to refute her lie. Her eyes darted towards the nearest rack of clothes and noticed one that looked particularly good. Reaching over to the rack, she pulled out the dress and handed it to Asuka. Asuka glanced at the dress and smiled back at Rei. Excited to try it on, Asuka with the dress in tow headed towards the fitting room.

* * *

**End Notes:** It could have been better, but I ran into so many bouts of writer's block, trying to write this chapter. Watching a ridiculous amount of anime (Full Metal Panic, FUMOFFU, TSR, Gundam SEED, School Rumble) didn't help clear it either. This chapter was supposed to be longer, but I really wanted to get this chapter over with because it was taking too long. Thus, the end of it that was basically filler was cut. I'll make up for it...

* * *

**OMAKE!**

Asuka strode out of the fitting room. She had her head up high as she stopped in front of Hikari and Rei, both of their mouths agape.

"Where did you find a bunny girl costume?"

Asuka was a wearing a red bunny girl costume. It was a tight outfit that showed off her curves, complete with red stockings, red heels, and a pair of red bunny ears on her head.

"In the back. I can't believe someone left such an awesome costume. I checked the price tag. It's on sale too," explained Asuka.

Hikari and Rei didn't say anything. They still stood dumbfounded in front of Asuka.

"What's wrong?" asked Asuka with a confused look on her face. It only served to make the complete look cuter.

"Don't you think that's a bit... much?" said Hikari. It made sense for Hikari to say something like that. She was definitely the more conservative of the girls.

"I got the body for this costume. I don't see what's wrong with flaunting it." Rei's silent explanation for Asuka was to point at the crowd that was pressed up against the glass window of the store.

With a scowl on her face and her fist shaking, Asuka shouted in the general direction of the crowd, "Listen up everyone! If you continue to leer at me, you'll wish you were a priest." With that said, the crowd immediately scampered away from the window and dispersed.


	14. The Darkness, Part I

**Author's Notes: **I had intended for the fanfic to extend until 20 or so chapters, but I seem to be running out of material. I came up with an arc that would end the fanfic by the 16th chapter, but it seems like I'm willing to extend this fanfic up to an 18th chapter. This chapter is one of the added materials. It's very description-heavy in contrast to the last chapter, which was very dialogue-heavy.

No omake for this chapter as it will ruin the serious mood.

DemonSanctuary Sen – the bunny girl costume was based off Haruhi, seeing as Asuka and Haruhi are fairly similar in terms of personality (tsundere).

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and am writing this fanfic for pure enjoyment.

* * *

**CHAPTER 14: THE DARKNESS, PART I**

Shinji found himself in an unfamiliar setting. The air seemed difficult to breathe as if it was dense. Everything smelled like blood. How disgusting. Shinji tried as hard as he could to keep the contents of his stomach from spilling forth from his mouth. His hands unwittingly grasped at the white handles in front of him. It reminded him of the controls to the games that he, Touji, and Kensuke would play at the Game Center.

_Shinji: Where the hell am I?_

Shinji watched his arm let go of the handle. His fist clenched and unclenched. His fists were covered in white gloves made of a tight yet comfortable material. This same fabric covered the rest of his body, but he couldn't really feel the presence of the material pressed against his skin.

The focus of his eyes shifted from his fist to the surroundings. It was like he was watching the world through someone else's eyes. Shinji could tell that the front of what looked like a cockpit was clear, and through it, he could see what looked like a hangar. It seemed like the kind of hangar that Kensuke had once showed him during their summer to a military base. The only thing out of the ordinary was this red stuff that encrusted the walls. Looking towards the back of the cockpit, Shinji could discern that it was a tube that extended far behind his seat.

Examining the seat that he was sitting on, he could see a familiar red leaf, the logo for NERV. Below the logo were several letters that he couldn't make out in the darkness, but he was pretty sure what it said. As if it were reacting to his thought, his fingers ran across the lettering just below the logo. He could feel the lettering that spelled out NERV embossed on the chair.

NERV. It was where his mother and father worked so much at. So much that they were rarely home to take care of him. The thought of his father brought out a memory of his father standing distantly with a cold, apathetic look on his face. The thought of his mother, however, brought out no memories at all.

_Shinji: Why can't I remember what mother looks like?_

Again, Shinji tried to hold back the contents of his stomach as he felt an immense pressure push down on his abdomen and watched the scene in front of him change into a blur. Shinji was extremely confused, associating such a massive pressure to an increase in G-forces due to rapid vertical acceleration. However, it seemed his body reacted calmly as it rested his hands on the control sticks.

Shinji's arm came up to shield his eyes from the brightness that engulfed the cockpit as whatever he was in rose out of the ground. Strangely, Shinji felt like he possessed another pair of limbs that came out of his back. Shinji looked forward out the cockpit window, bewildered by the fact that he could see the sun clearly without straining his eyes. Somehow, the window filtered out certain spectra of light, so he could see the sun in such brilliance that no other human could without damaging their retina.

The cockpit dimmed a little has a shadow obstructed the sun. A group of birdlike humanoid figures took flight in the sky. For a while, Shinji thought he had been transported to an alien planet before realizing that just below the figures, lay the smoldering ruins of Tokyo-3, ravaged by a tragic battle. The flying forms reminded Shinji of how vultures would circle the skies over their carrion.

A glint of red flashed in the beaks of the flying forms. He could see that in each beak of the vultures, there was a red piece of flesh. It was fresh carrion, dripping of blood. Shinji could even seen entrails sticking out of one of their beaks. He ignored the disgusting sight of bleeding flesh as he focused on one of the vultures that held a head-shaped piece. As the piece came into view, Shinji saw the head of a strange red monster, which looked surprisingly human if it weren't for the extra eyes.

Red. The color reminded him of someone. Someone that he cared a lot about.

The remembrance of his red-headed companion brought pain to his whole body as he convulsed. His hands tried to tear at his hair. His head was buried in his knees as he cried in a fetal position. A constant beeping sound started to go off in the background like an incoming missile warning. Suddenly, his head tilted back and his mouth opened to scream, "ASUKA!"

Shinji's eyes shot open to a half-lit room. His body was still convulsing from the dream. Sweat dripped from his forehead. Quickly gaining composure, Shinji got himself to stop shuddering.

_Shinji: The dream... it was so real._

Shinji pondered whether he had a bout of lucid dreaming, something that he heard a lot about. In the end, he concluded that it was definitely not lucid dreaming as he had no control over his dream. He was an unwilling participant to the horror that unveiled in front of his eyes.

From the amount of light, Shinji could tell that it was some time just after dawn. In the background, the constant beeping of his alarm clock was still going off, reminding him that there was no time for him to continue idling in bed. It was time to go to school. Resisting the urge to continue sleeping, Shinji slipped out of his blanket only to shiver from the chilly air. He had neglected to close the window last night, and now, his room was frigidly cold. Strengthening his resolve, Shinji began his morning routine as he headed towards his closet.

* * *

Asuka walked along the street that would take her to Shinji's apartment. She took careful steps, making sure she didn't step into a pothole and twist her ankle like the month before.

_Asuka: For a capital city, the sidewalks sure are in disrepair._

The sound of leaves crinkled under Asuka's careful footsteps. A melody of red, yellow, and orange piled up under each tree that lined the sidewalk. September had came and passed, and autumn was in full swing in October.

It had been more than a month since the dance. Asuka silently chuckled when she thought of how initially jealous she was of Rei. Rei Ayanami had turned out to be quite the interesting girl. Although she was often reserved, she was quite the talker once people got to know her. Somehow, she was even able to get a genuine conversation out of Shinji that didn't involve games or the perverted things that Kensuke and Touji liked to talk about. The usual table where Hikari and Asuka ate together was soon joined by Rei.

True to her word, Rei did try to help Asuka win Shinji's affections, but like Hikari, Rei didn't have much experience with dating and teenage romance so she was little help. Despite that, Rei tried her best to support Asuka. They never would have imagined Shinji to be so oblivious to Asuka's feelings, but Asuka's occasional outbursts towards Shinji didn't help. It was something Asuka tried to work on during the past month, but it was hard to change such an ingrained part of her personality, especially when the Stooges loved to do things that provoked her.

She thought about all the memories she shared with Shinji over the past month. The many hours that she spent doing homework with him at his apartment. They would both sprawl next to each other on the living room floor. Sometimes when she was pretending to focus on paper in front of her, she would catch a glimpse of Shinji looking at her. She liked the glances that she caught Shinji giving her, because it made her feel special. Unlike the other boys in her class who just wanted to get into her pants, Shinji looked at her because he was genuinely attracted to her and cared about her.

One time, she had fallen asleep on the couch, watching a movie with Shinji. The next morning she found herself covered with a thick blanket. She was touched that he was so concerned and slightly surprised that he didn't try anything naughty, but she knew he was still too afraid of her to try something like that. Sometimes, she wished that Shinji could become bolder and make a move on her, but that was wishful thinking.

Asuka arrived in front of the door to Shinji's apartment, a place that she had been more and more familiar with because of all the classes that they shared. She knocked twice and was surprised to hear shuffling on the other side of the door. Her mother had left early to work on a special project with Shinji's parents, which meant that the shuffling had to be attributed to Shinji. The door swung open, confirming her suspicion. Shinji stood in the doorway, fully dressed in his school uniform, with a piece of toast in his mouth and his school bag clutched in his hands.

Taking the toast out of his mouth with his free hand, Shinji said, "Hey Asuka, let's go." Shinji twisted the lock on the other side of the door and closed the door behind him, turning the knob to check if the door was indeed locked. Satisfied, Shinji turned towards the elevator, leaving Asuka still in shock at the door.

"Hey, wait a minute!" yelled Asuka to Shinji as she scurried after him. They both got into the elevator and began their descent to the first floor of the apartment complex.

"Explain to me why you're up so early," asked Asuka, surprised that Shinji could get up by himself without her intervention.

"I woke up to a dream," mumbled Shinji as he took bites out of his toast.

"Oh? A dream? You're not having hentai dreams about me, are you?" said Asuka in a sultry voice. To her surprise, Shinji didn't blush, and instead, he just shook his head.

_Asuka: Must have been a serious dream._

"What kind of dream was it then?" asked Asuka, now extremely curious as to what kind of dream would get Shinji in such a serious mood. When she didn't get a response, she prodded him in the chest and said, "C'mon, you can tell me."

The elevator reached the first floor, and the door slid open. Shinji didn't make an attempt to exit the elevator, but when Asuka made a move, Shinji slid in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulder.

"In this dream... I'm not sure, but I had a feeling that you were hurt... or maybe dead," explained Shinji. His face expressed the severity of his statement. Asuka was scared at how serious he was being, even though it was just a dream. Shinji let go of her shoulders and exited the apartment complex.

Shinji and Asuka walked in silence towards school. They usually conversed a lot on their way to school, but after what Shinji said, Asuka didn't know what to say in return. Her first reaction was to make fun of Shinji for being so serious about a silly dream, but doing so would only serve to drive Shinji away. She wanted to reach out and hug him, but the way he looked, it seemed like he was so fragile that he would shatter when she touched him. It pained her to see Shinji this way, especially when she had no idea what to do. They stopped at an intersection, waiting for the walk signal to light up. When it did, Shinji began to move forward until he noticed that Asuka had not budged.

"What's wrong?" asked Shinji. Asuka's hand grabbed his hand rather than his wrist as she usually does and began tugging him in a different direction. For the first time during the day, Shinji blushed; he was surprised at the softness of her hand and the intimate manner that she was holding his hand.

"Let's go this way. We have plenty of time for the scenic route," explained Asuka as she winked at Shinji. Shinji nodded in compliance and followed her lead.

* * *

**End Notes:** Short chapter. It was going to be shorter, but I felt I could fill it with other stuff so that it wouldn't end up being the shortest chapter of the series. That title is reserved for Chapter 6. 


	15. The Foreshadowing

**Author's Notes:** Go ahead and say WTF.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and am writing this fanfic for pure enjoyment.

* * *

**CHAPTER 15: THE FORESHADOWING**

A scream pierced the air. The kind of bloodcurdling scream that sent shivers down the people nearby. If it were amplified a few more decibels, it would threaten to shatter the nearby windows. This scream called out for her savior.


	16. The Darkness, Part II

**Author's Notes:** It's nice to see new people pick up this fanfic. Of course, all authors like to be appreciated so thanks again, everyone, for the reviews. Only 2 more chapters left!

It's nice to see that Chapter 15 got the desired effect. I've always wanted to do something weird like that just to see the kind of response it would illicit. I was pleasantly surprised to see several new reviews go "WTF," which was the intended reaction. Anyhow, I hope I did manage to drum up some tension while I write this ridiculously hard chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and am writing this fanfic for pure enjoyment.

* * *

**CHAPTER 16: THE DARKNESS, PART II**

Despite leaving the apartment early, Shinji and Asuka were still late to class, due to their detour. Their distinct voices carried down the hallway, allowing their fellow classmates ample time to direct their attention at the doorway. Everyone knew who were going show up through the door. The one-sided bickering could only belong to a pair that many in the class liked to term "the newlyweds." The only question on everyone's mind was how badly Shinji was being assaulted by Asuka, for making her late. She was the kind of person who would never shoulder the responsibility for her own wrongdoing, usually taking out her dismay on her neighbor, which often tended to be Shinji.

Poor Shinji. He was the kind of person who could take the brunt of Asuka's abuse without complaints. Such diligence aroused suspicion within the class that the two were, in fact, a couple despite their public appearance. How else would a guy be able to withstand all that abuse without being romantically involved?

As Shinji and Asuka entered the doorway, their faces changed to a blank stare as they realized that the entire class was staring at them with a shocked look. Shinji didn't have a scratch on him. What did this mean? Had the red-headed devil gone soft? Was this the end of her tyrannical rule?

Shinji and Asuka silently tiptoed to their seats, hoping not to upset their sensei anymore than they already have. However, the class had already started murmuring. The rumor mill was already up and running. That was to be expected, of course. When a possible couple, however unlikely it may be, walks into class late, people would start suspecting things like the real reason behind their tardiness. Meanwhile, Shinji and Asuka sat quietly at their desks, completely oblivious to the rumors being spread about them. By the first break, people were slapping Shinji on the back for snagging such a beauty like Asuka, while Asuka got surrounded by the remaining girls in the class who didn't despise or fear her, so that they could ask her about her sexual experiences.

The constant pestering from their classmates prompted Shinji and Asuka to make a mad dash for the rooftops, at the end of their physics class, in order to avoid the lunchtime mob.

"I can't believe that they think that I..." Asuka winced as she tried to convey her disgust about engaging in sexual intercourse with Shinji.

"That I did it with you," said Asuka with disdain. Asuka tried to split her disposable chopsticks. She frowned as the chopsticks didn't separate perfectly. It would be difficult to eat lunch with asymmetrical chopsticks.

"What's so wrong with that?" asked Shinji with a dejected look on his face. He felt unwanted, despite the years of belittling from Asuka that should have gotten him accustomed to it. She frowned again as she realized what she said out of habit.

"Never mind." Asuka was afraid to continue conversation, mainly afraid that she would say something else to hamper her progress with Shinji.

"What was that?" Shinji really wanted to know what was wrong with him that irritated Asuka so often. After all, wouldn't one want to know their personal flaws so one can perhaps fix it? Usually, Asuka was someone who would speak her mind, but it seemed that, recently, something had been holding her back. Perhaps, asking her directly would force her hand.

"Why do you have to go and insult him every time, Asuka? Shinji's such a sweet guy. He doesn't deserve it." asked a brown-haired girl with pigtails, standing behind Asuka with her hands on her hips and glaring at Asuka like a motherly figure. Asuka rotated her head to the direction of the voice. Spotting her friend, Asuka jumped up immediately, almost knocking over Shinji's bento, and brought her friend into a tight squeeze.

"HIKARI!" The whole matter about Shinji was forgotten as Asuka dragged Hikari off to the other side of the rooftop to make idle chatter.

"Don't let her get you down," said Touji as he patted Shinji's shoulder and sat down next to him. Touji and Kensuke had arrived at the rooftop in time to witness Hikari defending Shinji against her best friend.

"You should be used to it by now," said Kensuke as he sat down on the other side of Shinji.

The rest of the lunch passed without much happening. When the first bell rang, Touji and Kensuke already had their bento packed and ready to head off to their next class.

"Hey, I'll see you after class," said both Kensuke and Touji as they waved and left to make it to their military affairs class on time. Their sensei was very strict on punctuality and threatened to give two week's worth of homework for any student who was late to class. No one was ever late to that class, even renowned slackers like Touji. During high school class registration, Kensuke had pushed Shinji and Touji to sign up for the class, hoping to get them excited about the military so that their lunchtime talks would be more interesting. However, since Asuka changed Shinji's classes, Shinji wasn't able to share this class with his friends, which was a real shame since Touji seemed to really enjoy the class.

Shinji waved back at his friends as they disappeared down the stairs. He turned his attention to the pair of girls in the distance. They seemed to be finishing up their conversation. Asuka grabbed her backpack, waved to Hikari, and headed down the stairs. Hikari turned her attention towards the only remaining person on the rooftop. For a moment, their eyes locked, but Shinji looked away and focused on packing up the remnants of his lunch. Shinji didn't even notice that Hikari had approached him until he almost bumped into her while getting up.

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

"I gotta get to class, now," said Shinji, trying to extricate himself from the awkward situation.

"Wait!" Shinji turned around to face Hikari. It was rude to do otherwise, and Shinji was not a rude person. Hikari had her hands clasped together over her heart as if she was about to give a serious confession.

"Be there for her."

"Huh?" Shinji was puzzled. What was Hikari talking about?

"Asuka. You know as well as I do that she only appears to be strong."

"So?"

"She has just her mom, and she's always gone so she's been lonely. I'm just asking you to be strong for her when she needs it. Despite what she says, I'm sure she appreciates your company." Shinji nodded before he excused himself and headed down the stairwell. Shinji understood what Asuka was feeling like. He had found himself often longing for Asuka's company, whenever he finds the apartment empty each weekend. Their parents had been gone more and more often. They claimed that they were on the brink of a major breakthrough that would change the world of science.

Shinji still had no idea what his parents do, which was usually awkward when people ask what his parents do for a living. He usually says something about how they're researchers at NERV, but when asked what field of research, he just shrugged. He had once asked his mother to explain to him what exactly they did at their research lab, but all he got was a jumble of scientific jargon. It was like she picked random words out of the dictionary and got phrases like "artificial evolution" or "personality transfer OS."

When Shinji got to his computer science class, he saw that Asuka was already there. He took the workstation next to her and prepared for another boring lecture on stacks and queues.

* * *

It was the end of their computer science class already. Most of the students in class were still frantically trying to finish their in-class lab, so they wouldn't have to stay after school to finish it. Only a few students were able to finish the lab with enough time to spare to converse about their afternoon plans. Shinji and Asuka were both one of these students. Seeing how their neighbors were still preoccupied with pounding away at the keyboard, Shinji and Asuka turned towards each other for conversation.

"Do you mind if I come over today?" asked Asuka as she shut down her workstation.

"What for?" While Shinji didn't mind the company of Asuka, he had promised to spend the afternoon with Touji and Kensuke. He already spent all his classes and many nights of homework with Asuka, but recently, she had been dragging Shinji to various places on the weekends as well, so he tried to hang out with his other friends as much as possible. His friends accused him of betraying them and falling under the spell of the devil, but sometimes it was just difficult to say no to her when she threatened him under pain of death. Shinji liked his head right where it was.

"We have calc homework due tomorrow, baka." Shinji smacked his head when he realized he had completely forgotten about the extra assignment that their sensei had assigned them at the last minute. He hated it when their sensei did that. It was like if the sensei sensed that they weren't busy enough and decided to drop more work on them just for kicks. Once again, Shinji was thankful that Asuka wasn't as forgetful as he was. Shinji silently apologized to his friends for not being able to hang out with them, after all. With his grade as low as it is, he appreciated all the help that Asuka was willing to offer. Out of nowhere, a hand smacked the back of Shinji's head.

"Ow," yelped Shinji as he rubbed the area where the hand made contact with his head. He looked up to see Asuka scowling.

"What was that for?" asked Shinji, still rubbing the back of his head.

"For staring below the neck." That's when he realized that he was staring at Asuka's chest the whole time while he was thinking about homework. In his absentmindedness, Shinji's eyes drifted to her chest again to see what she was talking about, and he promptly received another slap for it. It didn't hurt as much as before now that his pain receptors were already overloaded from the previous hit. Besides, he did enjoy the view, especially since, today, Asuka's blouse was especially low-cut. If he weren't already used to the view, he would probably consciously stare at it anyways. He pondered whether explaining himself to Asuka would make things better. He wasn't entirely sure that she would be happy to hear that he was more focused thinking about homework instead of staring at her, especially since she was so proud of her figure.

The bell rang. Asuka leapt out of the seat as if she was a lioness, who had just spotted dinner after a long bout of starvation. Dragging Shinji along with her, they quickly arrived at their lockers, before it was too difficult to walk through the hallways without having to summon Moses to part the sea of people. Somehow, Touji and Kensuke were already there, all set to go enjoy their afternoon of fun and games. They waved at Shinji, but stopped when they noticed Shinji's classic apologetic face. It seemed to them that Shinji was silently apologizing for not being able to hang out again.

Asuka released her grip on Shinji and rushed forward to her locker. While Asuka was busy sorting out her locker, Kensuke was making angry faces and silently mouthing profanities while pointing at Asuka. Shinji chuckled as he opened his own locker.

"Do you have anything to say to me, Stooge?" asked Asuka as she slammed her locker door and shot daggers at Kensuke. In trepidation, Kensuke backed away, mumbling apologies for not knowing that Asuka possessed ESP. Satisfied with her victory, Asuka brushed her hair back and started for the entrance of the school.

Noticing that Asuka was leaving without him, Shinji turned towards her and yelled, "Hey, wait for me!" Asuka turned around and smiled, but continued to walk backwards towards the entrance.

"Don't worry. I'm going to go ahead and pick up some snacks for us. I'll meet you at your home." She waved before she disappeared through the door.

"More homework due?" asked Touji, wanting to know the reason why Shinji was bailing on them. Again. Shinji nodded agreeably to Touji's guess.

"Man, she really put you in hard classes," commented Kensuke, glad that he didn't have to deal with the workload that Shinji had undertaken.

In the midst of the conversation, Shinji had not noticed that Rei had appeared next to him with what he recognized as Keiko trailing behind her.

_Shinji: What is she doing with Keiko?_

"Hi, Rei. How are you, today?" For Shinji, it was always nice to see Rei. She always had a brilliant smile that brightened up Shinji's day, but her stern face emphasized the severity of the issue that Rei probably wanted to talk about. Perhaps, that's why she was with Keiko.

"I'm fine, Shinji, but I'm worried about Asuka." Rei was quite direct in her conversation, giving the other participant in the conversation little time to prepare for what he was about to hear.

"Huh? What's wrong with Asuka?" Shinji had a panicked look on his face. His protective mode for Asuka had kicked in.

"Maybe I should let her explain it," said Rei as she pushed Keiko in front of her. Shinji started immediately scowling at Keiko, assuming that Keiko had done something terrible to Asuka. He knew from Asuka that Keiko reveled in provoking her. Furthermore, he knew from the dance that Keiko would stoop so low as to break him and Rei up just so that she could get him alone and attempt to seduce him. From those accounts, Shinji knew that Keiko was definitely someone to be cautious of.

Sensing the hostility, Rei hoped Shinji trusted her enough when she said, "Trust me. You should hear her out." She could see that Shinji visibly relaxed, before she nudged Keiko so that she could start talking.

"I overheard Yahiko and his buddies talking about doing something to Asuka. He said something about how he could mess with you by messing with your girlfriend," explained Keiko. Shinji could see that Keiko was shuddering while she said this.

_Shinji: Is she nervously lying or is she just that worried about Asuka?_

Knowing Asuka and Keiko's rivalry, there was no way the latter could be true, but Shinji didn't think that Keiko would be such a bad liar so the former couldn't be true either. Shinji wasn't sure of Keiko's intentions, but he was willing to hear her out for the time being. However, a part of her statement did surprise Shinji.

"But she's not my girlfriend." Keiko was taken back by Shinji's statement. Like everyone else, she had heard the rumors, but she didn't know how distorted the rumors had become by the time it reached her ears.

"Oh? But you both showed up to class late. We thought you guys..." Keiko's voice trailed off when she realized that like everyone else, she made a drastic assumption about Shinji and Asuka's tardiness.

"We're not," said Shinji firmly, hoping that the fact that Asuka wasn't his girlfriend wouldn't trigger another attempt from Keiko to seduce him. Keiko was silent for a while as she tried to gather up her thoughts again. Sensing the awkwardness, Rei poked Keiko to prompt her to talk.

"Anyways, he said he was going to catch her after school... a-and have his w-way with h-her." By the time Keiko finished her sentence, she was almost in tears. She struggled to maintain composure as she still had a tough girl image to maintain, but it was difficult as a torrent of bad memories flooded her mind.

"Even if it is Asuka. No one deserves to be violated that way," explained Keiko before she collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed by her emotions. Rei moved in front of where Keiko sat on the ground and grabbed Shinji by the shoulders.

She gently shook him and said, "Go! Find her. I'll call the police." Shinji didn't have time to thank Rei or Keiko, because he had only one thought on his mind. Saving the princess. He turned away from the lockers and bolted at full sprint, out of the school. He could hear, in the distance, Rei shouting, "Be careful!"

* * *

"That baka. What would he do without me?" Asuka chuckled out loud as she imagined a world without her, where Shinji would be clueless and clumsy with no one to help him out of the sticky situations that he tends to get himself into. On the contrary, when she imagined a world without Shinji, she found it boring and uninteresting. Was Shinji that big of a part in her life?

Asuka took a moment to absorb her surroundings. It was quiet, which was nice since it let her think. There wasn't even the sound of the occasional passing car. The entire street was just desolate. The fading sun created a beautiful pattern of yellows, oranges, and reds that danced across the sky and accentuated a similar color pattern on the ground with the leaves. To her, the leaves weren't dying, but instead, showing off their fiery passion. The same fiery passion that resided in her.

She deliberately walked closer to the trees that lined the sidewalk, so she could step into the piles of leaves that accumulated underneath each tree. The wind was light today; there were many leaves for her feet to meet. She was absolutely delighted by each crinkle of the leaves. It was like breaking into a new bag of her favorite snack food, Ha chips. Ironically, her favorite flavor of Ha chips, the curry flavor, looked just like the autumn leaves, and each bite crinkled in the same way the leaves did.

Asuka was so caught up in her own little world that she didn't notice the crinkle of the leaves that followed her. It was already too late by the time two men grabbed and restrained her arms, while simultaneously muffling her screams. She watched as she was unwillingly dragged into a dark alley that reeked of piss. She considered herself strong from all the sports that she participated in, but she couldn't even budge under the restraints of her two kidnappers. For once in her life, she was truly scared. She knew about sex predators that would roam the streets late at night and assault poor, defenseless women, but she never expected them to be as bold and desperate to assault someone who wasn't exactly weak target in broad daylight. She wished that it wasn't so quiet anymore.

A voice spoke out. It was a hoarse voice, but definitely familiar. She couldn't quite put her finger on it until she saw his despicable face. Yahiko. She tried struggling again to get free, hoping to wiggle out a free hand to beat Yahiko senseless, but she stopped when she saw the glint of a knife in his left hand.

"I'd be quiet if I were you." Yahiko pressed the dull side of the blade against Asuka's bare neck. Asuka shivered at the coldness of the blade that reflected the coldness of its handler. She tried to look away from his disgusting face, but using his hands, he forced her eyes to meet his.

"Do you understand?" asked Yahiko as he slid the blade against her neck. Asuka merely nodded, hoping that maybe if she cooperated, he wouldn't hurt her. She relaxed when the hand that covered her mouth was released.

"Good. We wouldn't want any accidental cuts on that beautiful face." Yahiko pulled the knife back and stood there examining Asuka's body. He grinned as his eyes got lower and lower, realizing how incredibly good she looked in her current outfit while simultaneously undressing her with his eyes. Still grinning, he leaned into Asuka's face, hoping to force a kiss, but Asuka turned her head away. Disappointed, Yahiko pulled out his knife. Asuka's eyes snapped closed at the sight of the approaching knife, hoping that what was happening was only a bad dream. Asuka felt the knife slash through her blouse effortlessly. She opened her eyes and looked down at her blouse. It was an expensive blouse, but that wasn't the problem. Her torn and gashed blouse revealed the black lace bra that she wore underneath, and Yahiko's eyes were staring at them hungrily. One hand reached out and pulled on the bra to reveal Asuka's bare breasts. Yahiko grinned again at his handiwork.

"I wonder what your little Shinji would think of this. Where's he now to save you?" Asuka gasped when she realized why Yahiko was doing this.

_Asuka: I can't believe that he'd go so far to get to Shinji._

Asuka resigned herself to her fate. No one would come save her. The street was completely empty. Shinji, who had promised to protect her, didn't even know where she was. Maybe, if she let Yahiko have his way, he would leave Shinji alone. Then he wouldn't have to suffer.

_Asuka: Yes, I'll do it for Shinji._

Her thoughts were interrupted as Yahiko said, "Hmm... I wonder how it is down there." Yahiko used his left hand to fondle her breasts, while the other hand started to unbutton her shorts.

Suddenly, Asuka felt repulsed by Yahiko. She just couldn't take it anymore, even if she had resigned herself to her fate, just a few moments earlier. The person in front of her wasn't Shinji, but instead, she was about to be violated by a coldhearted bastard. Mustering all her strength and rage, she threw her head back and screamed. It was a scream of pure emotion that called out for her savior.

* * *

Shinji was almost to his apartment. He couldn't see anyone on the streets. He hoped he had gone in the right direction, but if he didn't, there would be no way for him to reach her in time. When he heard a scream nearby, he was grateful that he was in the right place. He had never heard Asuka scream before, but he had a feeling that it was Asuka and she was calling for him.

With a burst of adrenaline, Shinji sprinted towards the source of the scream. He was glad that Asuka continued to scream; it made it easier for him to follow the sound. Seeing Asuka's purse dropped on the corner of a dark alley, Shinji leapt into the dark alley with a scream of his own, hoping to scare off or at least paralyze the attackers with his war cry. What he found was a shuddering, half-naked Asuka, leaning against the wall and crying. While normally he would have been aroused by the sight of an Asuka with her breasts exposed and her shorts half-down, he was compelled to rush forward to embrace Asuka in a hug. He noticed the glint of a knife on the ground and examined Asuka for any evidence of cuts. Finding none, he sighed audibly, causing Asuka to stop crying and look at him with a curious look.

"Are you hurt? I don't see any cuts," explained Shinji. Asuka shook her head and pulled Shinji into a tighter embrace. It was like she was holding onto him for dear life. Shinji tried his best to avoid thinking about the warm sensation of Asuka's bare breasts against his chest. Knowing that something embarrassing might happen if he continued to be in the same position, he pushed Asuka away to her dismay and started to redress her.

"I can carry you home if you want. Did you still want to head back to my apartment?" Asuka nodded her head. Helping her up, Shinji led her out of the dark alley. Realizing that Asuka's torn blouse would draw unwanted attention, Shinji draped his coat around her to cover up her exposed chest. Looking at Shinji, Asuka smiled a bit, before returning to the dark expression that Shinji found her in. Even though Shinji was cold without his coat, seeing Asuka's smile in appreciation was enough to warm him for the short walk back to his apartment.

A short blare of the police siren alerted Shinji and Asuka to the presence of a police car near them. The car pulled up alongside of them. The door swung open, and a worried Rei popped out from the passenger seat.

"Are you guys alright?" asked Rei as she ran up to Asuka to hug her. After a lengthy, comforting hug, Rei pulled back so that she could ask more questions. By that time, the police officer had stepped out of the patrol car.

"Was it really Yahiko?" inquired Rei. Asuka nodded.

"Where did they go?" asked the police officer. She whipped out a small notepad, ready to take notes on the matter.

"They ran away while I was screaming," explained Asuka in a monotonous voice.

"Can you come to the station with me to give a detailed statement?" asked the police officer without taking her eyes off her notepad as she continued scribble furiously.

"Can I do it later? I just want to go home..." The police officer looked up from her note-taking to see how helpless Asuka looked. Understanding that Asuka had gone through enough of an ordeal, she nodded and pointed at Shinji, who was still standing next to Asuka.

"Take care of her, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Shinji held Asuka's hand and led her back to his apartment. It seemed that without the tugging that his hand offered, Asuka would be content to just collapse to the ground and just sit there. This became even more apparent as Shinji tried to open the door to his apartment. As soon as he got the door open, Asuka collapsed to the ground, sending Shinji to the ground with her. They ended up sprawled on the floor of the living room with Asuka on top of Shinji in a very provocative position. Shinji blushed red when he realized the kind of position that he was in, but Asuka showed neither surprise nor anger. The normal Asuka would probably have smacked Shinji for being a hentai, but this Asuka didn't even bother moving off of Shinji. In the end, Shinji had to slide from underneath Asuka in order to get out and help her up.

"Shinji, I feel dirty," said Asuka with a sad look on her face. She pulled at her clothes as if they were stained with dirt.

"Do you want to take a shower then?" asked Shinji as he started to lead her to the bathroom. Asuka merely nodded. When Shinji finally brought Asuka into the bathroom, he had her sit on the edge of the bathtub, while he left to get a towel and clothes for Asuka. He quickly found a spare towel, an oversized t-shirt of his, and a pair of old shorts that should fit Asuka. He returned to the bathroom as fast as he could, hoping that Asuka hadn't collapsed into the bathtub. Fortunately, she was still sitting on the edge of the bathtub, staring off into space. She smiled as she watched him hurriedly enter the bathroom, obviously concerned about her well-being. Just as Shinji was about to shut the door to the bathroom, so that Asuka could have her privacy, Asuka got up to stop the door from closing. Shinji turned around to look at Asuka.

"Don't leave me alone," pleaded Asuka. Her eyes glistened as they threatened to cry again. Wishing to take care of Asuka's every need and want, Shinji reluctantly complied and led her into the shower. To his relief, Asuka was able to undress herself. Shinji didn't even want to think how awkward it would be to touch Asuka in all those places if he were forced to undress her. Shinji pulled Asuka back from the showerhead as he turned on the water, shielding Asuka from the initial cold spray of water. When Asuka moved back to rinse herself, Shinji could see the entirety of Asuka's naked body. He was surprised how comfortable he was with her nudity. He briefly touched his nose to check for any impending signs of a nosebleed, but there was none. His eyes took in Asuka's full beauty. It was definitely something worth protecting.

"Your clothes are getting wet," said Asuka as she pointed at Shinji's drenched clothes. She slinked towards him while Shinji looked the other way so that his eyes wouldn't wander carelessly. She stripped his clothes off for him and brought him under the warmth of the water. After the shower, Shinji wrapped himself in a towel and looked the other way while Asuka dressed herself in his clothes.

"I'm done," Asuka announced. Shinji turned around to see that the clothes were a perfect fit. It looked exactly like the kind of clothes that Asuka would wear around her home. Shinji led Asuka into his room so that he could change into clothes as he didn't expect to get into the shower with her. He felt a pair of eyes watching him change, but when he turned around, she was resting comfortably on his bed and seemed to be sound asleep. He turned around to exit room so that Asuka could get her well-deserved rest, but Asuka's plea stopped him.

"Please don't go. Stay here with me," pleaded Asuka. Reluctantly, Shinji lay down on his bed next to Asuka. To his surprise, Asuka wrapped her arms around Shinji, holding him tightly as if he were the most precious thing in the world. Her legs soon followed suit and wrapped themselves around Shinji's lower body. Shinji couldn't move at all; Asuka was like a boa constrictor. Nevertheless, it was still comfortable, and the two found themselves slowly drifting into dream land.

* * *

Asuka found herself sitting underneath a cherry blossom tree. It was in full bloom. All around her were the petals of the cherry blossom. Blanketing the grass with a coat of pink. The warmth that radiated from the sun warmed her heart and soul. The songbirds created a beautiful melody that could put an insomniac to sleep.

She felt warmth on her hands and turned to find her face to face with Shinji. His hands clasped hers as he leaned into her ear and whispered, "Everything I am, I promise to you." Asuka simply smiled.

* * *

**End Notes:** The last part is a dream if you're confused about it. Man, this chapter was hard to write, but I hope the teaser was worth drumming the hype for this chapter. 


	17. The Moment

**Author's Notes:** OMG, what is going to happen?! It's the last chapter before the epilogue. Again, thanks, everyone, for the reviews. The last chapter actually had the most reviews ever, and I broke 100 reviews and 20k hits. Woot!

As the aftermath of such a dark chapter, this chapter will be pretty WAFFy. Yum, syrup.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and am writing this fanfic for pure enjoyment.

* * *

**CHAPTER 17: THE MOMENT**

Shinji squirmed underneath his blanket, trying to find a comfortable position, but it was difficult when he was sweating all over. A smooth surface brushed over his legs, and Shinji's nerves tingled at the sensation. A giggle erupted from under the covers. Asuka was naked with him under the sheets.

"I loved the present, Shinji-kun." Asuka leaned over Shinji, allowing Shinji to get an ample view of her cleavage. As her face closed on his, Shinji could feel the tickle of Asuka's breath across his face until she finally pulled him into a passionate kiss. It was a long kiss that spread warmth through Shinji's body. He wanted the moment to last forever, but even the most passionate have to stop for air. Shinji broke the kiss first as he started to pant for air. Asuka looked disappointed that they had to stop. After Shinji caught his breath, he looked back at Asuka. Her lips begged for him, and Shinji complied. An intense moment of ecstasy spread through Shinji's body, followed by a sharp pain.

Shinji blinked. He was looking up at a familiar ceiling. A faint glow of light barely illuminated the ceiling. From his position, Shinji could see the few posters that decorated his bare walls, indicating to him that he was in fact in his own room. He tried to move, but found himself tangled in his own blanket on the floor. He surmised that the intense feeling of pain in his dream was probably attributed by his fall from his bed. Shinji crawled back onto his bed, disappointed to find Asuka not in it. It was a dream, after all.

_Shinji: Not like it will ever happen._

Despite that thought, Shinji had high hopes. He had been closer to Asuka, ever since the incident involving Yahiko. While he did have Yahiko to thank for being able to be closer to Asuka, he felt bad that Asuka had to go through such a horrible experience for that to happen. In a way, Shinji felt that he was taking advantage of Asuka in her vulnerable state, despite how much she claimed she needed him.

Shinji thought back to the events after the incident. It was a little blurry in his mind after more than a month. The day after the incident, Shinji awoke in yet another provocative situation with Asuka. Of course, Asuka just sat on the bed with a blank stare as she watched Shinji awaken with no reaction whatsoever. After the situation was resolved with Shinji blushing as red as he could, they got ready, and Shinji escorted her to the police station to file a report. It just happened that the same police officer, who had taken notes on the incident, was on duty doing paperwork. Shinji felt his blood boil as Asuka described the entire incident with vivid detail. He couldn't believe that Yahiko could be so despicable. At the same time, he was angry at himself for dragging Asuka into his dispute with Yahiko. From Asuka's account, Shinji learned why he found only Asuka when he leapt into the dark alley. Apparently after her startling scream, Yahiko was so flustered that he dropped the knife and ran off.

After finishing her recount, Asuka looked mentally exhausted so Shinji took her back to his apartment, so that he could at least keep an eye on her. He was willing to wait on her hand and foot if it meant that Asuka was comforted. Despite all his efforts, Asuka didn't seem to come out of her shell. He even brought over Hikari to help out, but even she wasn't even able to get Asuka to acknowledge her, much less get a reaction out of her.

Fortunately for Yahiko, he didn't show up the next day at school. If he did, he would probably have been pummeled to death by an enraged Shinji and Touji. While Touji didn't care much for doing it for Asuka, he did want to impress Hikari. A few days later, the school announced that Yahiko had been "expelled" from the school for his poor grades, but Shinji knew the real reason why he was gone. The police investigation had been making headway in locating the perpetrators, Yahiko and his two closest friends/partners-in-crime.

It had been three weeks ago when Shinji found out that Yahiko had been caught in some backwaters town and was now residing at a juvenile detention facility. After hearing the news, Asuka seemed to gradually come out of her shell. Shinji assumed that her shell was formed to deal with her fear of running into Yahiko again and having him finish his despicable act. Asuka definitely appreciated it when Shinji announced that her fear would never be realized because he would be there to protect her. Always.

Shinji realized that he had spent too much time reminiscing. It was already too late to go back to sleep. He wouldn't be able to fall asleep again with some much light illuminating his room. He glanced at his calendar. A date was circled in bright red marker. Asuka had gone through his calendar one time and circled all the important dates or at least the dates that Asuka thought was important. December 4, Asuka's birthday.

Shinji smiled as he thought about the small velvet box that was hidden underneath his mattress. He knew that Asuka had a habit of searching his room for her present every time it was her birthday. He knew that this time was no exception, so he was sure that she wouldn't search underneath his mattress. After all, the last time she searched underneath his mattress, she was disgusted to find one of Kensuke's magazines. He was sure he wouldn't lose the game this time, but Asuka's track record was impeccable.

Shinji laid back into his pillow. While he was too awake to go back to sleep, he could at least rest his body by lying in bed. Besides, it was too cold outside the comfort of his blanket. The chills of December had descended upon Tokyo-3 overnight. He had to save up his energy for the party tonight, anyways.

The past couple of days had been tiring for Shinji. He had worked his ass off when he realized how much money he had left. The money that he had saved up to buy Asuka her gift. Her gift. Shinji smirked again when he thought of how surprised Asuka would be when she sees the gift that he had gotten for her. She probably would have never expected it. Yes, she probably didn't notice that Shinji had noticed all the glances that she gave a certain piece of jewelry every time they walked past a certain jewelry store. Oh yes, Shinji noticed them very well.

Shinji groaned and stretched his limbs. It felt so good after the triple part-time shifts that he pulled the day before. He was relieved that his part-time jobs were over now that Asuka's birthday had arrived. He had enough to buy Asuka the present that she deserved in addition to making himself a little extra side cash.

_Shinji: Maybe I'll take Asuka out to dinner sometime._

* * *

Several blocks away, in a quiet apartment, Asuka was curled up into a ball on her bed. She had just woken up from a nightmare and ended up in that position. The nightmares used to happen frequently, but gradually the frequency of their occurrence went down when Shinji started sitting by her side each night. Even though they still occurred once in a while, they weren't as scary anymore.

After screaming out Shinji's name from her sudden awakening, she was disappointed to find that it was early morning and that he was not by her side. It's not like she expected him to be there into the morning. She had seen the tired look on his face. She was only troubling him with her problems. Maybe, she would get a break today. It was her birthday, after all. Every birthday girl deserved to have at least some wish come true for them on their birthday.

She wondered what kind of surprise she would get. What would her parents give? What would her friends give her? Most importantly, what would Shinji give? His love? She laughed out loud at the thought. While Shinji had definitely gotten closer to her over the past month, he was still dense as ever. If affection were part of the electromagnetic spectrum, Shinji would be blind to that wavelength of radiation.

Deciding not to waste any more of her day in bed, Asuka slipped out of bed. She marveled at the feeling of the silk covers sliding against her sheer legs. It was still no substitute for the gentle stroking that Shinji liked to do. It calmed her and put her to sleep, knowing that he would always be there to protect her, to hold her, and to be with her.

Asuka gasped as her feet touched the cold kitchen tile. She shivered, not expecting the floor to be so cold. She donned a pair of slippers to stop her shivering, and shuffled over to the kitchen table. Her parents weren't in the apartment, and she had hoped that they had left her some kind of breakfast. Her face brightened as she saw a stack of pancakes on the table, but the face quickly turned into a frown as she read the note next to the plate. Her mom was stuck at the lab for the weekend, and she wouldn't be back to celebrate her birthday. Her own mother! Was her research that important that she couldn't even drop everything for one day to celebrate the birth of her only daughter? What about everyone else? Would they abandon her like this? Would Shinji?

In frustration, Asuka grabbed the closest throwable object to her and threw against the wall. Fortunately for the wall, the object that she chose to throw was only a pillow. Just underneath the pillow that she just threw was a wooden starfish sculpture. She was glad that her anger was relieved already, otherwise throwing the wooden starfish would really make a dent in the wall. Asuka plopped down on the couch and looked at the clock. There was still 9 hours until her birthday party started. Shinji had generously offered to host the party at his apartment.

_Asuka: Shinji won't bail on me. I'll see about everyone else when I get to the party._

Asuka turned on the TV and reclined into the couch. She was excited to see an anime marathon on TV, where they were showing episodes of recent animes back to back. For once, she was gracious for the reruns as she had missed some of her favorite animes, crying in bed late at night. It was the best and easiest way for her to kill 9 hours anyways.

* * *

Shinji sighed as he finished the last of the preparations for Asuka's birthday party. He looked around the room. It was sparsely decorated to Asuka's liking. Asuka wasn't the kind of person to like a florid party. He had already called everyone who was invited, so it was time to call the birthday girl, herself.

Shinji pulled out his cell phone from his phone and held down the 2 button for a few seconds.

* * *

Asuka had her eyes glued to the TV. It had been like that for several hours. She was uncomfortable, but she didn't care. Her stomach ached. She needed to go to the bathroom. She was on the fast track to becoming a hikikomori. The sound of her cell phone ringing made her realize how late it was. A glance at the front LCD of her phone told her that it was Shinji calling. Probably about how everyone was waiting for her. She answered her phone by flipping it open.

"Hey. I was just getting ready," lied Asuka. Asuka smirked as she looked at the pajamas that she was still in.

"Oh okay. Well, everyone's on their way so just come by as soon as possible."

"Alright." Faintly, Asuka could hear the doorbell over the phone. She wondered who would be the first to arrive at her birthday party.

"Uh, I have to go. I need to get the door so I'll see you when you get here," explained Shinji. Asuka could hear the creak of his door opening. She could make out him addressing Rei before the phone disconnected. She smiled, happy to know that Rei cared about her.

* * *

"Hi, Rei. You're a bit early," said Shinji as he motioned Rei into the apartment.

"Sorry. I don't like being late," replied Rei. She followed Shinji into the sparsely decorated apartment. Even with the addition of minor decorations for Asuka's birthday, Shinji's apartment was still very bland. Unexpectedly, Rei started chuckling. It started with a stifle of laughter, but it soon devolved into full laughter. Shinji gave her a puzzled look and continued to do so until her laughter died down.

"What's so funny?" asked Shinji timidly, afraid that there was something wrong with his appearance.

"Hikari… told me that it'd look like this and that I should help you." It was hard for Rei to get the words out while trying to stifle her laughter.

"What's wrong with how it is decorated?" questioned Shinji. Rei continued to snicker, especially after expecting a question like that from Shinji. Shinji would always take criticism personally. It was just his nature, and Rei knew she couldn't do anything about it. It was what made Shinji, Shinji.

Rei patted Shinji's shoulder and said, "Here, I'll show you how to properly decorate for a birthday with a feminine touch." Rei winked at Shinji.

Shinji was surprised by that statement. Rei was never really that feminine when he met her, but in the company of Hikari and Asuka, she probably learned a lot. They were all great friends, but sometimes Shinji felt really left out. It's not that he wanted to understand a lot of what they were talking about, he just wished that they would talk about something that could include him.

* * *

Asuka looked at her watch. It was about time to head out. She got off the couch that she had lazily spent her time for the last 9 hours and headed for the door. Quickly, she slipped on her shoes, opened the door, and locked up the apartment. She turned the doorknob to ensure that it was indeed locked. It was just a routine that comforted her in knowing that her apartment was at least safe. For a week after the incident, Asuka refused to come out of the apartment, fearing that leaving her apartment would put her in danger because someone could break into her apartment and harass. To her, it was clearly safe to stay in the apartment and safeguard it. It was Shinji who suggested to her to do such a routine in order for her to feel safer about leaving her apartment.

The air was cold outside. It wasn't nearly as cold as Germany in the winter, but it was still chilly enough to force Asuka to wear multiple layers. A month ago, Asuka would have probably be upset that she would have to wear so much. The many layers of clothing really didn't really help in flaunting her figure, but now she no longer cared. Maybe, just enough to maintain the figure for someone. Someone like Shinji, perhaps.

The traffic was pretty sparse on her way to Shinji's apartment. She didn't have to pay so much attention towards to avoiding traffic and got the chance to enjoy her surroundings for once. For the longest time, she had been scared to walk outside alone. It was through the help of Shinji that she was able to overcome her fear. Without Shinji, she wouldn't able to enjoy the city sights again. Without Shinji, she wouldn't be able to become independent again. Without Shinji…

In the distance, Asuka could see a couple holding hands. They seemed about the same age as Shinji and her. They probably went to their high school, but she just didn't recognize them due to the enormity of their high school. The couple looked happy. They were chatting away, completely oblivious to their surroundings. It was as if to them, they were the only two people in the world.

Asuka sighed. She wished she could be like them. So completely in love that nothing else mattered. Maybe that's what she needed to get away from the mundane world. She looked at the couple again. She was a bit disgusted inside to see their public display of affection, but more envious that the two could just hold hands like that. Their arms swayed back and forth to the rhythm of life, connected and united by their entwined fingers. Who could she possibly share such a sentiment with? Shinji? She wished she could, but it was so hard, for he was such an idiot. There were just times when she wanted to hit him upside the head. Yet, there were other times, times when they were alone together, when she wanted to grab and kiss him.

Asuka cleared her mind of such thoughts, realized that the couple was long gone, and she was standing at the base of Shinji's apartment.

_Asuka: I really shouldn't space out like that. It could be dangerous._

Asuka took a look at the high-rise and went inside to take the elevator up to Shinji's apartment. She wondered whether everyone was already there, having fun without her.

* * *

Most of the guests had already arrived at Asuka's birthday except for the guest of honor, herself. It was obvious who it was when everyone heard a knock on the door. Asuka had finally arrived.

Shinji put his finger to his lips and made a shushing sound to quiet everyone down. He motioned for everyone to stay in the dining room where the party was setup, while he went to open the door for Asuka. Everyone assumed their surprise positions as Shinji disappeared out of their sight.

Shinji approached the door. He was feeling rather happy. Maybe the idea of celebrating Asuka's birthday and seeing her rare smiles made it all worth it. Without hesitation, Shinji gripped the door handle and wretched the door open. In front of him, he saw a bewildered Asuka, surprised that the door had swung open so fast.

"Hi, Asuka." Shinji smiled at Asuka. He was genuinely happy to see her, even though the past few weeks, he had gotten to see her almost every day. Shinji was taken back when Asuka wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a deep more-than-friends hug. Shinji couldn't say a word as he led Asuka to the dining room where everyone was gathered, but he held a stupid grin on his face as he did so.

Everyone jumped out from their hiding spots to yell "Surprise!" to Asuka. To their dismay, Asuka wasn't the least bit surprised.

"You could have at least acted surprised, Red," said Touji, upset that he had to hide in an awkward position just for Asuka. For that comment, Touji got a light slap from Hikari.

"Well, it was obvious that you guys were hiding for that. Why else wouldn't any of you guys be there when Shinji opened the door?"

"She makes a good point," interjected Hikari. Hikari had made her way from the back of the dining room to greet her best friend. The two dragged each other to the corner of the dining room to converse, ignoring the rest of the guests. Meanwhile, Shinji got tugged to the side by an eager Touji.

"What's up, Touji?" asked Shinji, confused as to why Touji was so excited to talk him.

"What happened with you and Red, huh?" Touji made a grin. The kind of grin he'd make when he wanted to tease Shinji about something so Shinji was well-aware that Touji was going to tease him about Asuka. Shinji decided to feign ignorance as that was the best way to get Touji to shut up.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Shinji as he turned away to mingle with the rest of the guests. He was abruptly yanked back by a stronger Touji. Touji spun him around so that they could face each other.

"What?" asked Shinji, irritated that he was leaving guests unattended.

"Don't think I didn't see you and Asuka out there hugging? That was more than friendly," jeered Touji, excited and disgusted at the same time that his friend was hooking up with Asuka. Shinji's face contorted in a look of shock when he realized that people saw him and Asuka hugging. He wasn't sure whether that was a good thing and decided to just laugh it off in front of Touji. Otherwise, Touji would tease him to no end just see his reaction.

* * *

"Alright, it's time to receive your presents, Asuka!" yelled Hikari. Hikari was glad to see Asuka was in such a good mood. After all, she did bake Asuka her favorite cake.

Hikari shoved a neatly wrapped box into Asuka's hands. Asuka tore threw the wrapping paper much to Hikari's dismay, considering the amount of effort Hikari took to neatly wrap the present. She had redone the wrapping so many times because it wasn't perfect.

Asuka gasped when she opened the box. It seemed that Hikari knew the exact clothes that Asuka was eyeing but never able to convince her mom to buy for her. Asuka threw Hikari into a big hug.

"Here's mine…" said Touji grudgingly. He shoved a plain cardboard box towards Asuka. Asuka lifted the top of the box to find a whip inside.

"Is this some kind of joke?" yelled Asuka at Touji.

"Uh… it's for your protection! It's so small and portable. You can use it on attackers! Yeah…" said Touji carefully. His forehead seemed to be suddenly covered in sweat, despite knowing that Asuka would react this way.

"I'll pretend that is actually a legitimate reason, but I might just hit you with this some day."

"Heh. Maybe late at night, you can try it on Shinj-" Touji stopped mid-sentence as he felt a lash from the whip. Hikari had apparently stolen it from Asuka and used it to keep Touji in line.

Next, Asuka received a delicately wrapped present in a light blue ribbon bow on top from Rei. It was so beautifully wrapped that even Asuka couldn't bear to tear through it. Instead, she carefully unwrapped it by slowly loosening the bow and then loosening the wrapping paper. The way the present was packaged embodied Rei's stellar beauty quite well. After it was all unwrapped, Asuka carefully flipped open the velvet box to reveal three carefully crafted glass figurines of a dolphin, tiger, and swan.

"The dolphin represents your intelligence, the tiger represents your ferocity, and the swan represents your beauty. I thought these figurines might look nice by your nightstand or somewhere else," explained Rei. Asuka was taken back by the present. While at first they looked like just mere pieces of glass, Rei put meaning behind each of them.

"Thanks, Rei." Asuka said that with a smile, glad that she got the chance to know Rei.

"So… Shinji, where's your present for me?" pleaded Asuka with a downtrodden face when she saw that Shinji's hands were empty.

"Um… I'll give it to you later, okay?" stammered Shinji, hoping that Asuka would understand. To his surprise, Asuka nodded without any fuss, but Touji wasn't one to let a good jab at Shinji go to waste.

"Oh? You'll give it to her later, won't you?" said Touji in a suggestive manner. His jab, however, got him another lash of the whip from Hikari.

* * *

"Bye! Thanks for coming!" yelled Shinji and Asuka as they waved to Hikari as she left Shinji's apartment. They both watched Hikari disappear into the elevator, before shutting the door. Asuka glanced around the room, noting the mess.

"We should probably clean this up. I'll help," said Asuka. It wasn't often that Asuka volunteered her help with physical labor to Shinji, but Asuka wanted to show Shinji her gratitude arranging everything for her birthday. He did it all just for her, without any complaints.

"No, that's okay," said Shinji, stopping Asuka from picking up the dishes. Asuka was about to ask why before Shinji continued, "I still need to give you your present." He led Asuka to the balcony. It was a beautiful night. The full moon lit the balcony completely, making the mood feel quite romantic. Shinji led Asuka over to the bench and had her sit down first.

"Wait here, I'll go get it."

"Wait."

"What?" Asuka reached behind her and pulled out a small velvet box. The sight of which caused Shinji to gasp.

"How did you find that?" stammered Shinji, unable to comprehend how Asuka was able to find his hiding spots everytime.

"While you were gone in the kitchen getting food, I'd disappear and go look for it. I couldn't find it in your usual spots, but on a whim, I checked under your mattress. Don't worry, I didn't look at what's inside, but I'm really curious now," Asuka snickered.

Shinji shook his fist silently at Asuka and moved forward to receive the box from Asuka. He gently pried open the box and let Asuka take a look inside of it. Asuka's eyes lit up and she gasped audibly. Inside the box lay a bracelet with two strands of silver entwined with each other. Without hesitation, Shinji took the bracelet out of the box and fastened it to Asuka's left wrist. It looked stunning on her arm. Even more stunning as it reflected the moonlight. Asuka's hand brushed up against the bracelet, feeling every curve of it.

"It's beautiful… Thank you." Asuka smiled at Shinji and then winked at him.

"What was that for?" asked Shinji, confused as to why Asuka winked at him. Usually, her winks meant trouble.

"I'm going to have to give you some thanks," explained Asuka as she started to lick her lips.

"You know, you don't really need to, Asuka." Shinji knew it was coming, but he wasn't sure whether he was ready for it. It was Asuka, after all. Like an impossible goal that he could never dream to achieve.

"I just want to ask you something, Shinji. What do you think of me? Honestly."

"Honestly?"

"Yes, honestly."

"Well... I like you, but-"

"Baka."

Asuka scooted closer to Shinji and leaned in. Her hot breath tickled him. Her eyes glistened, almost as if she were yearning for every part of him. Her lips was calling for him, and Shinji felt it difficult to resist her magnetic draw. As he stared in her beautiful blue orbs, he felt compelled to lean in as well. Their lips got closer and closer. In the distance, the clock tower was tolling midnight. The moment was almost there as their lips threatened to merge. Their lips touched and Shinji felt like he was on fire. A feeling of ecstasy surged through his body.

Then everything went black.

* * *

**End Notes:** Yeah, I know. The last part was a bit rushed and not as good as I wanted it to be, but that's what I get for taking such a long break. Again, I'm sorry this took so long. The conclusion should be out shortly since it's already written.


	18. The Beginning

**Author's Notes:** This was written at the same time that Chapter 8. Yes, I've thought of this ending pretty far in advance, and it suits the purpose. I'm the type of the writer who likes writing the ending first so I make sure I tie up loose endings before I get to the ending.

**Revision Notes: **I cleaned up all the mistakes and hope to make this sound more mature.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and am writing this fanfic for pure enjoyment.

* * *

**CHAPTER 18: THE BEGINNING**

Shinji felt tired. Every muscle in his body ached, crying out in pain. He could faintly hear the soft rolling of waves. Mustering up his strength, he opened his eyes.

The sky was red. It was crimson red like a spray of blood across the sky. It scared him that the essence of life was poured into the heavens.

Shinji propped his elbows up to support himself, noticing that he was lying on a beach. The coarse sand dug into his skin while the red waves were gently licking his feet. It was comforting, yet at the same time, it was sickening. The blood of those he loved was bathing his feet. He scurried backwards on the sand in disgust. Each step sent pangs of pain shooting up his legs.

He desperately wanted it to end. Into the abyss. Into the darkness. He wanted to throw his head up and scream, but nothing came out of his mouth. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw a mess of red.

Red. It was the color of blood. The color of life and death. The color of someone's hair. _Whose hair? _Asuka's hair.

"Asuka…" said Shinji silently.

He got up and walked over to Asuka's limp body. She was still in her red plugsuit. Her eyes were closed, at least the one that wasn't covered with a bandage. As she lay there, Shinji realized how helpless and vulnerable she looked. His eyes surveyed her arm. The bandage there was long, but he wasn't surprised. He had seen the kind of damage that the Production Series EVAs inflicted. The sight of them eating Unit 02 was something that would probably haunt him forever if he survived.

If he survived… The realization that he was in a post-apocalyptic world had dawned on Shinji. Everyone… they're gone. From what he could tell, he and what remained of Asuka were the only things left in the world.

Anger surged through Shinji. After all he had been through, he had to come back to this. Was this another dream? Was this some kind of sick joke that Lilith was playing on him? For her to send the lifeless body of the girl that he loved with him to hell. He lowered himself and straddled Asuka's waist. He put his hands on her neck and began to squeeze. Squeezing what he had already lost. Squeezing the humor out of a sick joke.

Suddenly, a warm hand caressed Shinji's cheek. It was something he wasn't expecting. Was Asuka really alive with him? Shinji loosened his grip, scared that he might kill the only one besides his mom who ever loved him. The memories of his dream flashed back to him.

"Shinji…" whispered Asuka in a meek voice.

"Asuka…" replied Shinji as tears welled up in his eyes.

Tears dripped onto Asuka's chest. Were these tears of sadness? Or tears of happiness?

Shinji stood up, afraid that Asuka would be infuriated for sitting on her. He held out his hand and was pleasantly surprised to find that Asuka accepted it, borrowing his strength to lift her up.

In the distance, Shinji could still see the split face of Rei-Lilith. It still had that twisted smile on it, a smile that for some reason scared Shinji. To his left, he saw that his companion had finished getting the sand off her back and was taking in the same view as he was.

"Hey, Asuka?" asked Shinji timidly.

"Hmm?"

"Do you remember anything when you were in there?" Shinji pointed towards the sea of LCL to illustrate what he meant by "there." Asuka didn't reply. Shinji looked over at her, only to see her deep in thought. After much thought, she shook her head.

Deep down, Shinji had hoped that Asuka would remember everything that had happened in the dream that he had while in the sea of LCL. All the experiences he shared with Asuka during the dream seemed so real. Especially the kiss they shared. He was sad to realize that those memories would only reside in him. It was hard enough to love an Asuka in a world without Eva. Would he be able to do it in this world? This world that contained a broken and beaten Asuka. The same Asuka told him that she hated him. Yet all he could think of was falling in love with her. Reacting to his thoughts, Shinji's hand reached out for Asuka's, yearning for warmth.

Asuka looked at Shinji's facial expression. It was the same depressing look that he held during their last week. Would she let it happen again? For some unknown reason, she seemed compelled to reach out and hold his hand.

Their hands met in the middle, entwining fingers desperately grasping for the warmth of the other. This was a union of complements.

* * *

**End Notes:** Sure, it's an unsatisfying conclusion. Sure, it leaves a lot of things vague. Guess what? End of Evangelion does the same thing, but you don't see people complaining. I do feel bad for using a deux ex machine to end the fanfic, but for some reason, this felt like the most fulfilling way to end it. The AU constructed by Shinji was a perfect world where everything despite all the conflicts was WAFFy, but life isn't always fair. Besides, it leaves room for a possible sequel. I've always wanted to write a 3I fanfic. This might be my chance. Until next time!

**Revision Notes: **Guess what? I'm writing a new 3I fanfic that picks up where this ends.


End file.
